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If you have a fishing report that you would like to
contribute to the Offshore Pursuits Fishing Reports page, please email
it to me at
dave@offshorepursuits.com. I will also add pictures if you want to
send them along also. Thanks! Dave |
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| Tuna in the Bay! |
10/18/07
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Capt. Don Viprino
Osprey Sportfishing
We pulled the hook today on a estimated 550-600 pound in the Bay. A
small bunch of fish showed up on the whiting grounds, no one has caught
a fish there yet, there is a good amount of herring there though,
something should happen soon.
Small fish still on the west side of the Bay, along with two seiners
now.
The recent fisheries meeting went well. The seiners are able to finish
this tuna season in the Bay and then are NOT able to fish in the Bay any
more, at least there is hope for us hook fisherman!
Good Luck, Don |
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| Tuna Bite! |
| 10/18/07 |
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I have been in contact with three captains
today. The report that you just read from Capt. Don Viprino is certainly
encouraging if you fish the Bay or Stellwagon Bank. I heard from him and
others that there is a ton of
bait in the Bay right now.
From the east Capt Jack Riley tells us that in and around the Crab
Ledge, west of the shipping lanes, there are some fish being taken. He
saw three hook-ups yesterday, with two fish landed. Bluefish on kites,
as well as balloons seem to be doing the trick on the big fish. There
are a lot of small fish there also hitting tuna trains behind a bird,
squid rigs, and dressed
ballyhoo. There is a large amount of half beaks around, so the ballyhoo
rigs are doing well.
Capt. Jack did not see much action today, but word from the east side of
the shipping lanes is that there is a good amount of bait around, as
well as plenty of big fish. They did not want to eat today, but they are
there.
The talk is that the fish are just now starting to show up in any
numbers, and the season could go well into November. I hope for all
concerned that is indeed the case.
With the weather going downhill for the weekend, the fleet should be
back at it next week. i will have more reports from more boats for next
weeks reports.
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 Captain
Jim's Cape Charters
Provincetown, MA
508.237.7701
09/17/07
Fishing is almost always good in Cape Cod Bay and around Race Point if
your willing to do a little moving around.
Much like New England weather, fishing will change if you wait a
little while or move to another spot.These two first timers limited out
on keepers on Peaked Hill. |
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Rock Harbor Fishing Report
By: Capt. Hap Farrell
Stunmai II |
| 09/05/07 |
Tourist May Go, But the Fish Stay
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The summer season may be coming to a close but the fishing sure hasn't.
This Labor Day weekend was a fisherman's dream. The Rock Harbor Fleet
treated their anglers to some very good bass fishing. The full day trips
were a little more active but the half day trips held their own. Some
really big bass were landed. One party, fishing on the Osprey, landed a
bass that weighed in at a solid 53 pounds. Most of the action was on
Billingsgate Shoals either jigging or using the tube and worm. I know on
both of my trips the tube and worm system landed my anglers a number of
big bass some in the thirty pound class but most between 18 and 22
pounds. The rest of the boats did the same. Hopefully this will continue
on a regular basis.
The month of September can give us some of the best fishing of the whole
season. The bluefish are as active as ever and the water cools enough to
bring large numbers of bass out of the deep water and up on the shoals
where we can find them easier. This doesn't happen every day, obviously,
but much more frequently than during mid-summer. The nights cool the
water off and the bait comes up on the shoals where both the bass and
bluefish can get to them. The cooler water perks up the larger bass so
they are up with the rest of the fish and more susceptible to us and our
wily ways. There seems to be a worm hatch happening now, making the tube
and worm system more productive, which is a good thing. This time of the
season Billingsgate Shoals is the center of most of the striped bass
activity. The shoals is a big place, it's over six miles long and a mile
and a half at its widest. The tides move across it pulling up the bait
and the fish. This area is where you should start anything of your
fishing excursions. As far as numbers of bluefish, I'd first try in
along the Eastham shore up towards Sunken Meadow then out in front of
Great Island and up towards the Path out in twenty feet of water. These
areas will stay good right up 'til Columbus Day Weekend.
The final Rock Harbor Tournament was held on the 30th of August. The
basic reason for holding these three tournaments was to reacquaint the
harbor to the newcomers to the Lower Cape area. To show them what Rock
harbor provides in the way of sportfishing. These new summer visitors
may not realize that we have some of the best fishing in New England.
The winners are: Biggest Fish - Neil Ridly, Second Biggest Fish - Martin
O'Day, Smallest Fish - Hunter Meyer, Most Fish Caught - Matt Sorando,
Most Fish Lost - John Bode, Ugliest Fish - Dwight Warren, Youngest
Angler - Annie Sorando, and last but by no means least, the Most
Experienced Angler - Bob Hayes. The real winners are those who will be
telling their friends about that fish that got away when they were out
on a boat from Rock Harbor.
On Labor Day I took my wife, Annie, and two of her friends out for some
of this good Cape Cod Bay fishing. Annie and Doris work at Snows and
don't get much time to fish during the summer. Jim Ruland had done some
fishing but was a little surprised when he landed a nice 20 lb. bass.
Doris Tardif had her hands full with a hard fighting bluefish. Annie,
who always gets the biggest fish, stayed true to form and landed a nice
25 lb. bass. It looks as if we'll all be eating bass well into this
winter.
There are still plenty of fish out there, so if you'd like to try get
one for yourself give me a call at: 508-255-6211 or 508-240-8267.
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Capeshores Charters |
| Capt. Bruce Peters |
| 09/05/07 |
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| Chatham MA Bass & Tuna Report |
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Hi Folks,
The day after Labor Day. The day after the 9 mile backup of nice folks
leaving the Cape to head back to the wonderful and neccessary experience
of "BACK TO SCHOOL" !!! We natives here on the Cape appreciate your
patronage and without you would have a longer and colder winter I am
sure, so THANK YOU ! Please come back next year. Reserve in advance
though !
Those of you that can stay here a little longer will appreciate the
reduced humidity and less crowded waters that the fall months provide.
The water temperatures are quite warm, but a knowledgeable captain can
put your charter on some really nice catches of 3 foot long bass. Most,
if not all, of the last two weeks trips for stripers have produced over
20 fish outings of fish ranging from 32 to 42 inches long. These bass
will hang in areas with cold water eddies, or in the deeper areas of the
rips. Drifting a single sand eel through these sections will almost
always produce a decent fish at this time of the year. Some decent
stripers have moved into the area just outside of the Chatham inlet.
Look for them on the bottom just outside the 50 foot ledge as you head
out the harbor. There are also the usual many schools of bluefish that
are always there through the month of September and early October. I
have heard of big schools of blues on the beach at Nauset the day before
yesterday too.
The bluefin tuna bite slowed a bit with the full moon last week, but I
think we are coming out of that period now too. On Saturday I made skunk
on the Merrick tuna charter after running all over the choppy ocean
trying to put my folks on the fish. I was on the bait and had a good
showing of whales and birds, but no tuna ! I found out later, that the
day before, many other fishermen better than I am, had suffered the same
fate. Yesterday though, I managed to do a bit better, landing 4 nice
bluefin up to 85 pounds, in the same general area as where I fished on
Saturday. Although a bit finicky, it seems they are starting to bite
again. With tuna trips scheduled for the next 5 days, I will have a good
handle on whats going on.
Good Fishing to you,
Capt. Bruce & " Marilyn S "
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Mass Bay Fishing Report
By: Capt. Greg Sears
F.V. FORTUNA
www.massbayguides.com |
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 SHARK
A possible new state record Porbeagle Shark was caught by one of the
boats in the Mass Bay Guides fleet located in Scituate Harbor. Captain
Mike Evensen caught a 455 pound Porbeagle Shark off the Eastern edge of
Stellwagen Bank. The crew of the “Alexa Ann” battled this monster for
three hours on a standup fifty. Capt. Mike was Tuna fishing in the
morning and hooked up to an 8’ Giant Bluefin. He fought this fish for
almost an hour before loosing it to a snapped line. After being
disgusted with this episode they decided to finish the day Cod and Shark
fishing. Capt. Mike baited the hook with a cod fillet and off they went
round and
round for three hours he said the GPS looked like a etch-a-sketch. The
Shark was weighed on an official scale and witnessed by a State marine
biologist. The Shark should become the new state record beating the old
record of 418 pounds. Congratulations to Capt. Mike and his crew.
TUNA
Tuna fishing in the Bay continues to produce a large number of School
Tuna and Giant Tuna. We are averaging 2 to 6 tuna per trip some of these
fish are over 200 pounds and give a fight of a lifetime for our
customers. The bite has slowed during the mid morning hours and it seems
as soon as there are a lot of boats the bite stops. So you need to get
up early and
beet the shearwaters to the fish or you will be left going home skunked.
Also if you spread out from other boats you will have better luck the
fish are everywhere and the bite is early so just pick a spot in the
general areas where the fish are and not worry about what the other guy
is doing somewhere else. Stay with your first instincts this works for
me 90% of
the time.
Catch Um Up!
Good Luck and Good Fishing
Capt. Greg Sears |
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Captain Jim's Cape Charters
Provincetown, MA
508.237.7701 |
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| 08/08/07 |
 Captain
Jim's Cape Charters
Provincetown, MA
508.237.7701
Fishing remains decent in the Bay. Every year we face the
doldrums at some point, the bass
are fat and happy and laying low from the heat, Julia Childs could
prepare an eel stew and
the bass wont touch it. We have not entered this stage yet, though there
are days when it is spotty and you have to work hard to get those
keepers. Tuesdays, Wed, Thurs and Sundays can be like an aquatic mosh
pit out there with the commercial guys and kayakers (cant we all just
get along). Strange weather isn't helping, changing winds, highs,
lows, all add to the complexity of bass behavior, incoming tides and
early mornings are helpful if you can be out there. No big fish this
year, very few fish over 25 pounds. Perhaps because the bait is not that
big, mostly smallish sand eels. |
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Rock Harbor Fishing Report
By: Capt. Hap Farrell
Stunmai II |
| 08/02/07 |
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The Weather & Fish are Cooperating
 Finally,
we are getting some weather that is tolerable, actually quite good. No
Wind!!!! The fishing isn’t too bad either, especially on the full day
trips we take to Provincetown.
We had a busy week. Two tournaments were held out of Rock Harbor. On
July 28th 2007 many of the charter boats that fish the waters of Cape
Cod Bay were involved in a day long fishing tournament. For a few years
now Eric Hubler has organized a tournament to raise money for the
Athletic Department in the Nauset Regional School System in memory of
Chris Svenningson. He has booked most of the charter boats who fish the
bay. Boats from Barnstable Harbor, Sesuit Harbor, Rock Harbor, and even
a boat from Provincetown. The weight of six stripers per boat determine
the winner. There is also a prize for the smallest bluefish. It really
doesn’t matter who wins, it’s that everyone enjoys themselves and some
money is raised for a good cause.
The winners were, biggest bass and most weight went to the Gray Dolphin
from Sesuit with second place going to the Osprey from Rock Harbor. The
Watanye’s crew, from Rock Harbor, won the prize for largest and smallest
bluefish.
The second was our own little tourney. Again, all the boats in the Rock
Harbor Charter Service were involved. The winners were rewarded with a
plaque for biggest fish, bass or bluefish, and one for the second
biggest fish. Other prizes were awarded but more on a humorous nature.
As in the first tourney it was fun for everyone. To see pictures of the
winners come down to the booth and look in the picture board this
weekend. You’ll see how much fun was had.
 Now,
where are the bass and what have they been up to? Lately, there have
been three main areas where one can find an decent amount of bass. The
first is on the north edge of Billingsgate Shoal, their normal hangout.
Most of the time on the flood tide you can jig on the edge or just up on
top and do quite well. Some days better that others. There is a fair
amount of bluefish mixed in. The second is out in the deep water on the
Square. This is 45 feet of water off the edge of the shoals. Here
jigging with long wires (450 ft.) will work well along with the tube &
worm. The third, if you want to take the ride and deal with the crowd is
off the Bath House south of Race Point. Here, jigging is your best bet.
Watch for the hang ups, there is a fair amount of them.
The bluefish, what are they doing? There are some in on South Sunken
Meadow and off the Eastham shore but this area has thinned out recently.
This is normal and these fish should be back in force soon. Right now
the best area is out in the deep water mixed in with the bass. Just put
out an umbrella rig on 150 foot wire set up and you’ll have all you
want. For those who want to plug for these fish wait a bit. They will be
in off the Eastham shore soon and hungrier than ever. Just this last
Tuesday a large school of bluefish both the small ones and big bluefish
were found in tight to the path. They could well be on the way to the
Sunken Meadow area.
This last week I had a new local person named Tom Gallagher. He just
bought a house in Dennis and loves to fish. This is one of the reasons
he moved to the Cape. Anyway, he was treated to using some of the really
light wire tackle I’ve just put together. This is 30 lb. test wire on a
soft action Shakespeare rod designed to fish for muskie and pike on the
Great Lakes. The guides can handle the wire. Tom was able to land a nice
36 inch bass using this tackle. Not bad for a new kid on the block. |
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| If you’d like give me a call at 508-255-6211 or 508-240-8267 and I’ll
try and get you out for a day of fishing. |
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| 08/01/07 |
| The 2nd Rock Harbor Tournament |
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The 2nd Rock Harbor Tournament
By: Capt. Hap Farrell
 On
the 1st of Aug. the 2nd of 3 tournaments was held at Rock Harbor. The
boats departed around 11:15 am and returned around 4 hours later. This
is not a real serious tournament, it is meant to have some fun and the
winners will receive plaques and other awards some of which are of a
humorous nature.
The first one was a success so the 2nd one had an even bigger turnout up
at the booth for the Rock Harbor Charter Service (508-255-9757). There
is going to be a 3rd and final tournament on the 30th of Aug. and we
expect this to top the first two.
 The
fishing was a little slow on this day but it did not dampen anyone’s
spirit. Jeff Conklin won fist prize for the biggest bass which was a
solid 40 inches. He was closely followed by Pat Sanders with a 39 inch
bass. Oliva June won a big floppy hat for landing the most keeper bass.
The hat is to protect her swelled head from the sun since she landed 12
bass over 28 inches. Tom Becker was honored for landing the smallest
fish which was a whopping 12 inch striper. There were many other awards
given out for such things as the ugliest fish, the most fish lost and
the like.
A good time was had by everyone and they are waiting to see what the
next tournament brings on the 30th of Aug. |
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| If you’d like give me a call at 508-255-6211 or 508-240-8267 and I’ll
try and get you out for a day of fishing. |
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Capt. Hap Farrell |
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| On the Water
with Andrew Wade |
07/17/07
|
 Crawling
out of bed at 3:00am might not sound like a lot of fun to most people
unless of course a tuna trip is in the cards. We rounded the tip of
Monomoy around 4:45am and headed east toward Crab Ledge. The notorious
Chatham fog was in full effect with visibility averaging 20-30 yards. We
steamed out to where we had hooked up two weeks prior and set out the
lines: Squid rigs, 2 black, and one dark pink.
We were quickly greeted by a pod of dolphin and a few scattered birds.
The dense fog prohibited us from following them around or tracking down
any other signs of life in the area (i.e. whales, or pushing tuna). Over
the next few hours both the bluefish and stripers came up to taste the
rigs but no sign of the bluefin we were in search of. When 10:30 rolled
by, the morning had proven to be no more than a very foggy whale watch
with a big female humpback and her calf accompanying us for about 15
minutes as we trolled around.
A group decision to pick up and move north proved to be much more
fruitful. We escaped the fog, the wind died down, and we soon found
ourselves fishing under a beautiful blue sky. It was no more then 25
minutes after we set out when I was able to pick up on some terns and
gulls working over half a mile from our location. As we came up on the
feeding birds we began to see exactly what we were looking for all day;
feeding Bluefin Tuna. SNAP! An 80 pounder came up and destroyed one of
the rigs we were fishing off the rigger. After a nice battle we landed
the fish and set out again. 20 minutes later we hooked up again with a
fish of similar dimensions.
If you are headed out after tuna you don’t have to go too far. You can
find them offshore from Nauset to Chatham (and plenty of other places
around the Cape). The stripers are plentiful off Monomoy, just be
prepared to share the water with a small army of other boats. As for the
bluefish, they have been bountiful in the Bay, especially along the
Orleans and Brewster shoreline (often in large schools busting the
surface).
Good luck. See you on the water and keep those rod tips up!
Andrew Beardsley Wade |
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Captain Jim's Cape Charters
Provincetown, MA
508.237.7701 |
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 The
fishing has been mostly good in Cape Cod Bay out of
Provincetown. Some days you have to work to find them, but they are
there. Shifting feeding patterns had us out at 5:30
AM for this trip, where the young lady pictured here landed her first
keeper, a nice twenty pounder. Capt. James Shannon |
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Capeshores Charters |
| Capt. Bruce Peters |
| 07/14/07 |
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Hi Folks !
What the heck is "Bearse's Bass Thumb" ?
Well, it is when you have caught so many fish steadily over a span of a
week or more, that your skin on your thumb wears off from 'lipping" them
and throwing them back ! Yes it is true, we are averaging over 25 bass
per trip for each of the two trips a day that we do. When you do that
with 14 pound test spinning gear consistently you ore ON THE FISH !
There are not many openings for the rest of this month, but there are
some scattered here and there. I have a cancelled tuna trip for this
Sunday ( 7-15 ) so if you are wanting to get in on this action call me
on the cell 508 237-0399 or at home 508 255-0911 for a quick booking. I
would love to go tuna fishing on this date.
There was a slow down on the tuna bite for a few days last week but its
back up to where it was before that already with really nice bluefin in
the over 50 inch range being taken. Its time to go get one of these
fighters, while they are still in close in and within range of an 8 hour
trip. If you wait until September you will need longer and a more
expensive charter.
Thanks,
Good Fishing to You
Bruce & "Marilyn S" |
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Rock Harbor Fishing Report
By: Capt. Hap Farrell
Stunmai II |
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| 07/11/07 |
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Special Fishing
Report From Cape Cod Bay
From: Capt. Hap Farrell
Subject: Light Tackle Jigging with Wire |
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 At
6:30 this morning, 11 July, three anglers Dennis Veronnean, Keith
Tallberg, and Dave Sciaraffa, all from Connecticut, left Rock Harbor for
a half day for sport fishing aboard the Stunmai II. We set out for the
north edge of Billingsgate Shoals to do some jigging for stripers. This
entails a fairly stiff rod with a substantial reel with round 320 feet
of 50 test wire with a 3 oz. jigged eel directly tied to the wire.
Not long after land 3 good sized keepers averaging 33 inches, Dave
Sciaraffa hooked onto a big fish. With some concerted effort he landed a
very nice 46 inch bass weighing in 38 pounds. A good catch by anyone’s
standards. But the adventure of fishing had only begun.
On board I had a new set up. I had taken a very light freshwater pike
rod with titanium guides, to handle the wire, and put a 320 GTI Penn
reel with level wind on the rod. I’d filled the reel with 68 yards of a
soft line (dacron) as a backing and then 300 feet of 30 pound test wire.
You can’t jig with the rod , but you can jig by hand and then fight the
fish with that rod. As I understand it no one at the Goose Hummock had
ever had anyone make up a rig like this. Some were skeptical on whether
it would work.
I’ll let you be the judge and see if a picture is really worth a
thousand words. It’s 46 inches and 35 pounds. It took 17 minutes too
land. |
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| If you’d like give me a call at 508-255-6211 or 508-240-8267 and I’ll
try and get you out for a day of fishing. |
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Capt. Hap Farrell |
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| Elsewhere around the Cape: |
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07/05/07 |
Besides the tuna, there are some nice
stripers and blues around. Big striped bass and bluefish are being taken
in the rips off Monomoy. As stated in the below reports, there have been
some fantastic days reported.
Both the canal and the backside beaches are seeing the effects of the
water warming up. Fish early and late, eels in the canal, and sand eels
or cut bait on the backside.
The Bay is discussed above, and as you will read, Stellwagon has it's
own tuna bite going on.
The deeper holes on the west side of the Vineyard and around the
Elizabeths are giving up some decent bass to eels. |
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Mass Bay Fishing Report
By: Capt Greg Sears
Mass Bay Guides
www.massbayguides.com
07/05/07
 Tuna
fishing on Stellwagen Bank is the best it has been in years, we are
catching multiple fish per trip averaging 150 pounds plus. The Tuna are
everywhere around Mass Bay and Cape Cod Bay and have been here for more
than three weeks. The FORTUNA has averaged 3 to 6 fish per day and has
achieved an anglers limit 4 times. An anglers limit consist of two fish
over 47” and one fish under 47” and over 27”.
I hope this early spring blitz of tuna is only a prelude to what is to
come for August an September we should see some twenty fish days. The
Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary is finally getting some
deserved stress relief from commercial fishing and is showing some signs
of a comeback such as whales and Tuna.
Also Striped Bass are so thick on the Bank they have become a nuisance
fish to the Tuna fisherman. We have been catching fish in the 40 to
fifty pound range but they are a federally protected species and it is
illegal to keep them in federal waters (The EEZ). But they are great for
a nice picture and a good release.
The Striped bass fishing is also great in state waters and plenty of 36”
to 45” fish are caught on every trip. We are gearing up for the signs of
a good Giant Bluefin tuna season and I hope my next report can tell you
about the big one.
Good Fishing and Good Luck!
Capt Greg Sears
FV FORTUNA
Mass
Bay Guides |
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Offshore with the Osprey
Capt. Don Viprino
Osprey Sportfishing
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07/03/07 |
The tuna have shown up in the bay. we
caught 2 shorts last week trolling squid rigs, 54" and a 48". A few big
fish have been seen as well, stick boats took 5 two days ago. The small
fish are from Chatham, to Stellwagen bank and into Cape Cod Bay.
The bass and blue fishing has been outstanding as well. Bigger fish
ranging from 40" to 46"
have been being taken and bluefish up to 14#. a big charge of the blues
moved into the
meadows allowing for great plugging, (prepare to lose a lot of plugs). |
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| Offshore with the Maverick |
Capt. Jack Riley
Maverick Charters |
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06/30/07
Congratulations to the crew of the Maverick!
The
Maverick won
the Allen Harbor 4th of July Shootout scoring 197 points ( 65 stripers
and two blues ) during five hours of fishing. The three anglers Joann
Riley, Stan Gawron and Bruce Brody each kept one bass for the grille and
released 62 healthy fish. The fish were feeding on sand eels on the
North Tide and squid on the South. During the change of tide we moved
off the rip and continued to catch in deeper water. The nearest
competitor was the Reel Attitude with 101 points ( 95 blues and two
stripers ).
Many of our friends went school tuna fishing last weekend and enjoyed a
great bite in the shipping lanes East of Chatham. Squid bars were the
ticket with black the favorite color. Capt. Dan of Merlin Sportfishing
had multiple hookups on the new
East of Chatham squids. |
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| 06/27/07 |
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Capt. Jack reports:
 We
spent Friday at Sankaty off Nantucket fishing for stripers. The largest
bass of the forty we caught was 40". Our party of six kept six fish with
the balance released.
On Saturday we left the dock at 4:00 AM for school tuna and spent the
early hours at Crab Ledge and had a couple boils on squid bars but no
takers. After a couple of bluefish attacks we headed south of the BC
Bouy and found the whales and porpoise. After no luck with squid bars we
put out a
ballyhoo on an
Offshore Pursuits Bluefin Tuna Rig in the wash. BANG.
A 55" 100# bluefin after a 25 minute battle on standup gear. Then we
headed to Nantucket for stripers. Lights out fishing with the largest
bass of the 30 at 39". A twelve hour day well worth the effort.
Sunday and Monday were bass trips with the same results. All the fish
you would want. Both at Nantucket and Monomoy.
If you would like a great trip please visit
www.maverickchartersltd.com.
Regards,
Capt. Jack |
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| Offshore with the Maverick |
Capt. Jack Riley
Maverick Charters |
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 06/27/07
The
Maverick has spent the most of the last two weeks at Nantucket. The
striper fishing was lights out in the first week but the last saw an
invasion of bluefish. That's the bad news. The good is that the stripers
have set up shop and are cooperating in all the traditional spots from
Monomoy to Chatham. Handerkerchief, Stonehorse and Bearse have all
produced some nice fish up to 38". And we have had luck at Chatham at
the end of the North tide.
For school tuna Crab Ledge has been hot from false light til about 8:30
- 9:00. But bluefish beware. I caught a 50" bluefin on squid "root beer"
but my friends have caught on black, green and pink and who knows what.
Both bars and green machine "tuna trains" have done the job.
The " Hot Reels " from Allen Harbor came back from the BC Buoy with a
66" and 55" fish this morning. Let the bite begin.
Tightlines,
Capt. Jack |
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Rock Harbor Fishing Report
By: Capt. Hap Farrell
Stunmai II
03 July 2007 |
| Rock Harbor’s 1st Tourney of 2007 |
 On
Tuesdays, the 3rd of July, the Rock Harbor Charters Association had its
first tournament of the 2007 season. Everyone on one of the associations
boats were entered. This first of 3 tourneys is designed to acquaint the
new residents of the Lower Cape area to the sport of fishing for bass
and bluefish in the waters of Cape Cod Bay. This associations has been
in
existence since the late 50’s, however with the changes in the Cape in
recent years and the influx of new residents the members feel that a
tournament like this will acquaint the new comers to the harbor and its
services.
First I must get into what has been happening in the Bay. On thing I can
say without any hesitation is that the blue fishing up by the Sunken
Meadow area and along the Eastham shore is outrageous. If you want to
plug for them, use a fly rod on them, or any other method, you will not
be disappointed. They are so thick you can get out of your boat and walk
on their backs. There are a number of bluefish up by the Path also. This
does not count the bluefish we find on the shoals, off the Brewster
Flats, and in the deep water off the north edge. These fish seem to be
everywhere.
What have the stripers been up to. It seems that they have based
themselves on the north edge of Billingsgate Shoals and out to the deep
water off the shoals. Jigging is the best method right now or if you’re
in the deep water an umbrella rig with some weight will also work. Good
sized stripers have also been landed on the east bar of Barnstable
Harbor but
that is hot and cold. Provincetown is the same way. One day it’s good
and really good at times and other days it can be slow at the Race and
Woodend. I think this will continue for a week or so and then start to
pick up in all these areas. Speaking of stripers I had a family out this
last Monday. The Bertschmann family wanted to see if they could get
themselves some bass for a cook out. Well, their 10 year old daughter,
Holly, came through for the family by landing a 38 inch bass weighing in
at 21 pounds. They will have a good cook out for sure.
Lets get to the first tournament we’ve had at Rock Harbor for a long
time. If you have ever been in the restaurant business you know what
being in the weeds is. Well, we were. The first of anything is usually
not as organized as it should be. However, all the participants had a
good time, fish were caught and the awards were passed out. The largest
fish was a striped bass 42 inches in length and next biggest fish was 41
inches. The smallest fish was an 18 inch bluefish and the most fish lost
was 8 fish. Unfortunately the list with the names of these winners was
discarded so I can’t give you them. I told you we were in the weeds. We
have another coming up. The one winner I do know of is Leo Wieskert,
from Eastham, who landed the most fish. He landed 3 stripers, one of
which he kept, and 12 bluefish. Not bad for 4 hours of fishing. |
| |
| If you’d like give me a call at 508-255-6211 or 508-240-8267 and I’ll
try and get you out for a day of fishing. |
| |
|
Capt. Hap Farrell |
| |
| 27 June 2007 |
| Changing Weather & Fish |
| |
 There
are a number of events in nature that affect the activity of the fish in
Cape Cod Bay. For example, in the summer when we get a cool front move
through and we get a hard northwest wind it will push the stripers up on
top of Billingsgate Shoals. When the water in on Stoney Bar warms up the
bass move out of there and leave it to the bluefish. That’s why when you
go
up into that area and then towards Sunken Meadow you can pretty much
count on finding a number of bluefish most of the summer. It’s thought
that a hard southwest wind can push the bass out into the deeper water
off the north edge of the shoals. At any rate, the weather can greatly
affect what the fish are doing.
As far as I’m concerned, and I’m not a weatherman, but, we’ve had both a
strange spring and early summer as far as the weather is concerned. So
it’s not surprising that the fish are acting a wee bit odd. In the last
few days the charter fleet has had to work for their fish. We’ve been
finding some bass in each area we look, just not the volume we’ve
normally seen.
At other time we’ve run across large schools that won’t hit our baits.
The area that the stripers have frequented the most is the deep water on
the north edge of Billingsgate Shoals. This area is where we will see
the stripers on our fish-finders, put an umbrella rig right into them
and nothing will happen most of the time. At other times we load up on
both
bass and bluefish. Go figure...
Where to look next week? The way things look I’d use the shoals as a
center point. Start there and work to the north edge out to 50 feet. If
not there check out the south edge by jigging along it. Your best
results would most likely be to start from east and work to the
southwest along the edge. If you still don’t find much work out in the
deep water, 50 ft. or more, up towards the Path. Covering this ground
should produce you some action.
This coming week Rock Harbor is going to have a small tournament on the
3rd of July on the 1/2 day trip scheduled to leave around 11:45 am. It
involves those boats in the association. Anyone who has booked one of
our boats on their own or books it through The Booth will automatically
be entered. There is no extra entry fee, it is all gratis. There will be
awards for the biggest fish, bass or bluefish, second biggest fish, and
other more
humorous prizes. This tournament is for fun and to promote the sport of
fishing. A local band, OVERBOARD, will be performing down at the harbor
the evening before, the 2nd of July, approximately 7:00 pm. If you’re
interested is viewing the end result of this competition come down to
the harbor about 4:00 pm. on the 3rd and give the winners a hand. There
are some boats still open if you want to try your luck. Just ask Roxanne
at the booth about the tournament.
This last Monday I had a group of guys from New Jersey. They have been
out with me before, a few years ago, and they told me we had done fairly
well. This time they brought a you gentleman with them. It was his first
time fishing in the Bay. It didn’t take long for this angler to catch on
and he easily landed a striper close to 20 pounds. Ryan Palumbo, 14
years old, from Wantage, N.J. will not soon forget his struggle with
this majestic fish.
Don’t forget about the tournament on the 3rd of July, but if you’d like
to get out any other time give me a call at 508-240-8267 or 508-255-6211
and I’ll try and get you out on the Bay.
Capt. Hap Farrell |
|
|
Capeshores Charters |
| Capt. Bruce Peters |
07/03/07
|
Hi Folks,
One of the finest sights in fishing is a school of bass busting on the
surface of the water under a widespread flock of wheeling and diving
gulls. Well it doesn't get any better right now at the Bearse's Shoals
area off of Monomoy Island. The squid are moving out of Nantucket Sound
and as they cross the shoals, the big schools of striped bass congregate
there and feed heavily. This area is actually quite large, and covers
the areas to the east, west and south of the tip of Monomoy Island,
aproximately 2 miles in each of those directions. The bass have been
there about a week now and will most likely stay at least a week more,
before they slowly move into the waters to the east and south east of
Chatham Harbor.
The tuna bite has been quite consistent as well, once you can get away
from the bluefish. The fish are actually of a quite nice size too,
between 45 and 65 inches, with an occasional one of over 70 inches !
Lately the fish have been biting better on the second slack of the day.
If you are up for some of this great fishing call me to set aside some
time. I am already quite booked up, but there are some remaining open
dates to select from. Call soon, as they are filling up quickly.
Good fishing to you,
Bruce & "Marilyn S" |
| |
| 06/25/07 |
| |
Hi Folks,
As you may have heard there are some nice sized bluefin tuna being taken
these days. These fish are ranging from 50 to 72 inches, with a decent
average of 60 inches. Several commercial sized (> 73") fish have been
taken on trolled gear as well, one only 6 miles from Chatham that
measured 101 inches ! Andy Baler of Nantucket Fish Co., bought one the
day before yesterday at 75 inches, weighing around 200 pounds that was
shipped to Japan, due to its medium fat content.
It seems that there is the usual morning bite, slacking off around 8:30
or 9 am, followed by another productive period on the mid day slack.
Being there
at first light is critical for a decent bite. It seems the fish are also
on the Stellwagon Bank area as well as our Crab Ledge and BC areas. I
have had several reports from folks fishing there that have done well.
The bass fishing has picked up considerably in the last few days at the
rips of Monomoy. There are squid in the area and as the bass chase them
up onto the shoals the big gulls can be seen flying over the rips
looking to grab a squid or two as they come to the surface. The fish are
moving with the bait though, so be willing to look around a lot. One day
they may be on the Handkerchief Shoals and rips, the next on Stonehorse
and the same day
on a different tide over on Bearse's. Water temperatures have been good
at 57 to 63 degrees, depending upon tide direction, and the blues aren't
in with the bass, unless the rip right at the Point of Monomoy close to
the beach has birds working on it. It seems you can always pick up some
small blues there.
There are also good catches of bass reported off Martha's Vineyard and
the back side of Nantucket, if you want to make the run. Its a long way
from the east side of Chatham for me though. At the end of last week,
the Environmental Police were checking boats for safety violations on
the backside of Nantucket, and I heard that they wrote a few tickets
for using live bait that wasn't large enough over by Martha's Vineyard.
There will be an increased enforcement effort of recreational striped
bass fishing in the EEZ (outside of 3 miles) by the Mass Environmental
Police this year due to increased lobbying from RFA, Stripers Forever
and CCA. Even though this striper fishery has been declared recovered
for over 10 years, and these fishing grounds have been used by local
boats forever, the political process seems to favor the loudest, best
funded groups, regardless of how right or wrong the management
statistics show the status of the fishery to be. Its ironic that
millions of dollars are being spent on enforcement of a non-issue, due
to politics, yet there seems to be a incredible lack of interest by the
same recreational fishing lobby, in pushing for federal funding of an
observer program on huge mid water
trawlers and draggers operating 10 miles away !
Good fishing to you,
Bruce & "Marilyn S" |
|
| Catching the magic with Merlin Sportfishing |
| Capt. Jack Rogers |
| Capt. Dan Pacheco |
|
Merlin
Sportfishing |
| |
6/22/07 Captain Jack, The Dorothy K
and I with the Callahan's today fished on Nantucket today the morning
run was incredible clam boats working the edge of handkerchief shoal
birds picking be hind looking for what ever the dredge below would give
warm sun and smooth seas
hat a morning.
The rewards at the fishing area were paid quickly with a nice steady
pick of
striped bass to 42 inches with just a few blues in the mix everyone had
a great day with smiles and grins for the ride home. All and all it was
a great day of fishing on Cape Cod.
Capt. Jack
6/23/07 Captain Dan, I and Mike Minahan and family fished the
morning tide on Nantucket today on the Dorothy K. The ride over was a
little bumpy but the rewards far surpassed a little rocking on the ride
over. As soon as we set out we doubled up with two striped bass in the
high thirties what a way to start the day then another in the mid
thirties and a beautiful 38 inch fatty I could not believe how round it
was we had a little lull and then a
barrage of bluefish and ended up picking up a nice forty inch bass
before the tide died summer has definitely started here on cape cod and
the fishing is great.
Capt. Dan
6/24/07 Captain Dan, We fished today with Paul Donovan and
friends today the seas were calm and the sun was hot. Unfortunately we
where a half hour late for the morning bite off shore for Bluefin it was
early and fast and furious then as quickly as it started it was over.
Not that the fish left or anything like that we marked fish all day with
bait and tuna every where we went. We marked fish repeatedly from 50
feet to 120 all morning, so with the tuna not feeding and biting well we
headed to Nantucket where we were very successful. The gods of Striped
Bass shined on us all afternoon we ended up having nice steady fishing
for the last three hours of the tide with just a few Bluefish and a nice
pick of Striped Bass 35 to 41 inches fat and healthy green back Stripers
what a great day of fishing on Cape Cod I
truly feel blessed being able to do what I do .
Capt. Dan |
|
Rock Harbor Fishing Report
By: Capt. Hap Farrell
Stunmai II
20 June 2007 |
| |
| The Summer Season Starts |
| |
Schools are letting out, the summer rentals
are starting to fill up and finally the weather is warming up. The booth
at Rock Harbor is open and starting to book summer anglers who will do
their best to land a big bass and bluefish. I’d like to say all is well
in the world but I’d be lying. At least all is well here on Cape Cod and
in Rock Harbor on Cape Cod Bay.
It also seems that the bass and bluefish are settling down to their
summer habits. The larger schools of stripers have moved out of the
Stoney Bar area and spread out between the New Grounds, west of the old
Target Ship and up on the north edge of Billingsgate Shoals. The
bluefish, our old standby, is found just about everywhere we have found
the stripers. However, they have not shown themselves in large numbers
yet. It could be that we, as charter captains, have not really gone
looking for them in the usual areas. I have trolled in towards the
Sunken Meadow area and hooked up one or two bluefish, but nowhere near
the amount of hook ups we have found in the past. The last bunch of
northeast winds could have impeded their activity. Only time will tell.
They are out in the deep water in fairly substantial numbers but not
overly so.
This last Monday I had a booth trip on the 1/2 day part of the tide. The
four guys had not done much fishing and were eager to try anything. No
one had jigged on Top of Billingsgate Shoals much and those who had did
not fish there for long. I told them this and said we should give this
area a good look see. It’s a good thing we did. It was not hot and heavy
but the fishing was a little better than decent. We did land one striper
that had to go twenty pounds. One of the other charter boats, the
Osprey, came up on top also and Captain Viprino was able to land some of
these big bass for his party too. You had to put in the time, but both
the bass and the bluefish kept us pretty busy.
Another area that is staying fairly active is along the drop off of the
Brewster Flats. Jigging is the best method but the umbrella rig and
single swimming plugs will also work. Look for working birds for the
real give-a-way. Or, just jig along the edge until you find them, and
then work the area.
As the summer starts into its full swing I’d like to welcome two new
captains to the Rock Harbor Fleet. Joe Higgins and his boat the Amber
Lee has taken over the slot held by Capt. Dick Woodland who has retired
and sold Joe the boat. Capt. Woodland shoes will be very hard to fill
with his better than 50 years experience. Capt. Higgins has his work cut
out for him. The other is Kirstyn Costa who’s waiting for the ink to dry
on her license so she will be at the helm of the Columbia sharing it
with her brother. She is going to be brought into a long line of charter
captains with the last name of Costa. She is the granddaughter of the of
the late Elmer Costa and I’m sure she will do him proud.
The season has started and we are keeping the bluefish and bass on their
toes. Come down to Rock Harbor and see what the boats bring in. If
you’re so inclined go talk to Roxanne at the booth and sign up to go
catch your own fish.
If you’d like give me a call at 508-255-6211 or 508-240-8267 and I’ll
try and get you out for a day of fishing. |
|
Capt. Hap Farrell |
|
Captain Jim's Cape Charters
Provincetown, MA
508.237.7701 |
| |
| 06/20/07 |
| |
 Capt.
Jim's Cape Charters did well off race point and the back side, landing
fish in the twenty plus pound range. Water temps were down a bit
recently with the north winds but are now up againin the sixties. More
bass continue to arrive and search out food and temporary residence in
Cape Cod Bay. Tons of bait and working birds can be found all over the
bay.
Bluefish action will surely pick up this week with the rising temps so
mind those soft plastic baits,as they will be shredded to bits.This is
surely the start of an excellent summer of fishing in the Bay.
Capt. James Shannon. |
|
|
On the water with Andrew Wade |
|
|
The big guys are here!
Saturday June 16, 2007
The Hyannis Angers Club had their annual Fathers Day Striper
and Bluefish Tournament last weekend and we couldn’t have
had a better day for it. I fished with a few friends
including Capt. Aaron Polhemus aboard the Reel Deal and we
set out from the Harbor at 7:30am. We ran by a flock of
working birds as soon as we got out of Hyannis Harbor but
decided to pass them up when we realized they were teamed up
with a school of small blues. We needed something bigger!
Only about one or two miles offshore we came across a small
rip turned up by the rising tide. It was no more than an
hour after dead low when we made it to the rip which
(combine with the rapidly rising water) created a perfect
environment for some feeding fish. It wasn’t long before we
landed our first bass, a 41 incher that tipped the scales at
approx. 23 lbs. However we weren’t done yet. That was
followed up by a 34” striper, a 9 lb bluefish (good enough
for fifth in the tourney out of 140+ anglers) and a 43
incher just under 25 lbs. The winning fish of the tournament
was 35 lbs and there were about 6 others between first and
our 25 pounder.
These big fish are a great sign for those of us fishing
further down the Cape, in such areas as Chatham and Orleans
(ocean side). Look for the big guys to move into the rips
off monomoy and up the back side soon. This coming weekend’s
weather report is looking good and if that trend continues
you should be in good shape where ever you prefer to fish.
If you are new to the area and would like to get some tips
or if you are looking for a charter feel free to contact me
at
capewade@yahoo.com.
Happy Fishing!!
|
|
|
|
| The Fish Are On The Move |
| 07 June 2007 |
| |
 The
summer is starting out on a good foot as far as the fishing in Cape Cod
Bay. The weather has been good for the most part, very little wind. The
fish have been where we could find them fairly easily and there are
plenty of them. However, they are on the move now. Actually this is a
good thing. This last weekend some of our boats found large schools of
keeper
sized bass and plenty of bluefish out in the deep water off the north
edge of Billingsgate Shoals. It seems that the fish that were in off the
Eastham shore and on Stoney Bar have moved to both on top of the shoals
and to the deep water off the shoals.
 This
thought that the fish on the north edge are from inside by Stoney Bar
has some skeptics. Many believe that the stripers and bluefish that show
up there come around Race Point. If this is true then the big stripers
that were in by the #3 and # 5 cans have moved elsewhere. Maybe to the
west to the New Grounds in the deep water off the Brewster Flats. If so
then they have scattered out through the area. At any rate, the fish are
on the move.
Where they settle down is the question. My money is on the shoals and
the north edge where the schools of fish in the deep water will finally
end up. The fish from inside are on the New Grounds west of the old
Target Ship and you will have to do some looking to find them.
It’s good to see the bluefish show up. It will take a few days and a few
more degrees in the water temperature before these fish get really
active. Once they do we will have some good action when the bass fishing
is a little slow. Plus many of the anglers that fish with us love to tie
into a hard fighting bluefish especially on lighter tackle. Right now
you can hook up on some in the deep water off the north edge of the
shoals and a few have been landed in by the Sunken Meadow area. However,
these bluefish are still not as active as they will be in a week or so.
The umbrella rig seems to be the best bet to use.
Next week will tell use where the most active area will be for a while.
If this season is anything like last year the most active area will be
the north edge of Billingsgate Shoals and the deeper water, 40 ft. to 60
ft., off the north edge and up towards the Path. On calm days you’ll be
able to see the schools near the surface, otherwise you’ll need a good
fish finder to locate them. These schools will not be staying still.
They will be moving around
with no real rhyme or reason.
This last Sunday I had a couple of folks out for a 1/2 day trip. Robert
Tobin, from Albany,
N.Y., and a friend of his Colleen, want to try out some of this seasons
fishing. Robert had fished out of Rock Harbor once before but Colleen
had never been. We went to an area I had fished before and had found
some good sized bass. As always, the woman landed the larger fish. One
of Colleens many stripers was a 1/8 inch off being forty inches. Not bad
for a
first timer...
If you’d like to get in on some of this great fishing
give me a call at 508-240-8267 (Boat) or 508-255-6211
(Home).
Capt. Hap Farrell |
|
| Fishing Rhode Island |
Capt. George Guy
Sea
Ya! Charters |
| 05/26/07 |
 Hi
All, Fished Narragansett Bay on Saturday (May 26) with the Gary Van
party. Fished the incoming tide between Hope Island and North of
Jamestown trolling shad rigs. After we limited out (2 hrs) we switched
to jigging and casting with light tackle for catch and release fun. The
captain gets to fish once the limit is reached, which makes for a fun
day for all involved.
Sea Ya,
Capt. George Guy
Sea Ya!
Charters
Email: tunablues@cox.net
Home: 401-568-4766
Cell: 401-486-4085 |
|
Capt. George Guy
Sea Ya!
Charters |
| 05/29/07 |
 Fished
the Arango party on Tuesday May 29th in Narragansett Bay. Fished area
between Hope Island and South of Prudence trolling shad rigs. Took our
limit of stripers and a few blues. Everyone went home with diner in the
cooler. |
| |
Sea Ya,
Capt. George Guy
Sea Ya!
Charters
Email: tunablues@cox.net
Home: 401-568-4766
Cell: 401-486-4085 |
|
Rock Harbor Fishing Report
By: Capt. Hap Farrell
Stunmai II
30 May 2007
Memorial Day Weekend left Its' Memories |
 The
weather was good for a change. Usually we have rain and wind on the
first real long weekend of the season. This one was good and so was the
fishing. We had warm days all week before and this brought up the water
temperature. This, in turn got the stripers active. Granted more small
fish moved in but there was lots of action and enough were legal to keep
everyone happy.
Large numbers of small bass with some small keepers mixed in have moved
up on top of Billingsgate Shoals. From the grass patches on the east end
of the shoals to the Wreck Buoy, down near the west end, you could see
pods of working birds on fish. The whole shoals were full of sand eels.
Just off the edge on the south side were more schools of fish some of
which were decent in size. The main area was still on Stoney Bar and
just off the Eastham shore out in 15 to 18 feet of water. The channel
that lead into Welfleet Harbor between the #3 and #5 cans also held some
legal size bass. You just had to work through the small ones.
The main lure system that worked the best was the reliable umbrella rig
on 150 feet of wire. Many of the charter captains don't like to use
them, including myself, but if it works we use it. It is not unheard of
to have 2 or 3 fish on one rig, sometimes even more. Mostly we get small
fish using this tackle but it gives you plenty of action and can land
that big fish everyone is looking for. The hootchie, which had been
working very well, seems to attract bigger fish. Put it in combination
with a swimming plug and you have a deadly system. Unfortunately, you
don't have quite the action you get with the umbrella rig, most of which
will be undersized stripers.
The first bluefish in the charter fleet was caught on Saturday, the
26th, aboard the Luau, operated by John Shakliks. He was using hootchies
up near the #5 can more towards the Eastham side of the channel when a
stern rod went off. The fish fought a little different than the stripers
he had been hooking up on. When it came in he immediately put it out on
the radio that he had landed a nice 10 pound bluefish. Rumor had it that
a few bluefish had been caught by shore fishermen in the South Sunken
Meadow area. I guess they were true.
What will happen next week? I think you'll see a little less action
inside the #3 and #5 cans as far as the stripers are concerned. With
this little cold front coming through the bluefish won't be too active
yet. They need warmer water before they get really active. I think the
place to look is west of the old Target Ship and the south edge of
Billingsgate Shoals. There will be a lot of schools of small stripers
with the bigger fish mixed in. It's the deeper water west of the ship
that I think will hold small bunches of the 34 to 40 inch bass. Jigging
or an umbrella rig on a 200 foot wire rod should do the trick. This time
of the season there seems to be a fair amount of moving as far as the
stripers are concerned. As the water warms up they keep setting into new
areas. Given a little more time they will be on the top of the shoals
and then on the north edge.
This last week I had a party put together by Maggie Hasbouch. She wanted
to try her hand at sportfishing and brought her friends to help. Before
the end of the days all were saying they'd be sore the next morning.
They had a workout landing their limit in stripers. The almighty
hootchie did the trick. On Monday, Mark Werner and his two sons and a
girlfriend had a taste of Cape Cod Bays fishing. They had no trouble
getting the 4 fish they wanted to take home. They threw back a fair
number they could have kept. One important thing happened. Becka, the
girlfriend, seemed to be along for the ride. By the end of the trip she
was obviously the most excited one of the bunch. It seems wcreated a
fishing fanatic in Becka.
For those who want to do some fishing and don't have a boat, come down
to Rock Harbor. Talk to one of us and we'll get you out for some of the
best fishing this season. |
| |
Offshore with the Osprey
Capt. Don Viprino
Osprey Sportfishing
05/30/07
The bass are here!!!
We have been fishing with hoochies off the eastham shore producing our
limit on bass almost every trip. there seems to be a large amount of
squid in the bay, also herring. we have been catching most of the larger
fish with the hoochies, but lots of small fish with single bombers and
umbrella rigs. we have had up to 40 inch fish, but the bigger ones
aren't far behind. Brewster flats has also been hot with large amounts
of schoolies with an occasional keeper.
There was a fair amount cod and haddock in the race, but the water has
been warming and the fish are headed for deeper water. A succesful trip
for the groundfish would mean a long run offshore, probably a 2 and a
half hour run for me.
If you want to try your luck in some of the best striper waters on
earth, give us a call today!
Capt. Don Viprino Osprey Sportfishing
Telephone: (508) 247-9489
Boat: (774) 722-2691 |
| |
On the Bay with Capt. Ramon Rustia
Capt. Ramon Rustia
Close Enough Charters
May30,2007
Launched the Grady-white on Thursday May24th and did a very short late
afternoon run to check out all systems. Fished Stoney Bar area on light
tackle and immediately caught 7 Bass - 4 keepers to 34" and 3 shorts. On
friday morning did another exporatory trip with almost the same results.
Deep diving plugs did the trick.
Skipped the mob on Saturday and only fished for an hour on Monday
morning to get a fat 34" fish for a clam bake.
My Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday trips were producing more keeper bass
than shorts, although today's party wanted to cast to the hugh schools
of small fish right inside Wellfleet Harbor. When they tired of that, we
shot out to the deeper water west of Billingsgate for the bigger fish.
Largest today was a hefty 22 pounder.
It has been a real pleasure to catch all these fish without having to
resort to the heavy wire-line rigs.
Capt. Ramon Rustia
Close Enough Charters
Wellfleet, MA 02667 |
| |
Fishing the South side with Capt. Jack
Riley
Capt. Jack Riley
Maverick Charters
05/30/07
Maverick Charters started the season on a beautiful Memorial day
weekend. No wind. First stop was Tom Shoal at the Vinyard. Fast action
for stripers and blues during the first few hours of the outgoing tide.
Of the 20 blues one reached the 30" mark. The stripers were small and
new arrivals. Covered with lice. Three of the six were keepers with the
largest 31". The area really munged up at mid tide so we headed to the
inside bar at Bishop and Clerks and caught about the same number of bass
and blues, same size range as Toms. All the bass between 26" and 30". I
did hear of a 35# striper on the radio. My anglers lost as many as they
caught. It was either winter rust on their technique or the college
reunion they held the night before. Great guys and a wonderful day to
start the season.
Wish you all the best of luck and tight lines in 2007.
Capt. Jack
Maverick Charters |
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On the water with Andrew Wade
It's great being on the water.
Each day I get to go out on the water is a pleasure. I think I would
have had fun this Memorial Day weekendeven if I didn't see a single
fish. Of course thatwasn't the case; there were fish EVERYWHERE!! I'll
quickly break down the three day weekend for you:
DAY 1 - Saturday 5/26: Singin' the Blues
We decided to head out of Chatham's Oyster River with Capt. Aaron
Polhemus. We played around with a few small schoolies on light tackle,
right in the river, as we weaved through the mooring buoys (which are
starting to fill up as the summer folks flock in due to the nice weather
we have had). As we made our way out through Stage Harbor and into
Nantucket Sound we ran into massive schools of Pogies flipping around on
the surface but didn't find the big bass chasing them from the depths
(we know they will be here soon). As we charged out into the light chop
it was no more than 3 miles when we hit a school of blues we could have
walked on. There was bait everywhere and a large flock of terns and
gulls to give away their position.
The blues ranged in size but we were able to land a few
"slammer-croakers" in the 10-15 lb. range. As we worked our way up the
southern shore line of the cape, all the way to Bass River, we were
joined by our sharp toothed friends the entire way. There was plenty of
bait in the water and although we did manage to land a few small bass it
won't be long before the waters here in Chatham are infested with the
big guys.
DAY 2 - Sunday 5/27: Brewster to Billingsgate
As low tide was in the middle of theday (and because we couldn't get up
too early after a late night celebrating the start of the summer at the
good ol' Chatham Squire) we launched out of Sesuit Harbor in Dennis due
to the tidal demands of Rock Harbor. We first stopped along the Brewster
flats and hooked up on our first cast. We landed striper after striper
but still couldn't get that elusive keeper. We had a great group out on
the water including Dr.Timothy Kiley (Connecticut native and a top
physical therapist in the Greater Boston area), Matthew Polhemus
(Quarterback of the Yale Bulldogs Football team; Ivy League Champions in
'07), as well as Mr. Peter Polhemus (Father of Matthew and a well known
architect/builder throughout Cape Cod and the Islands). It was Polhemus
Sr. who broke the cold streak of no keepers landing a beauty just south
of the Billingsgate shoals. Our bait of choice was a 7" pink Slug-Go. I
am truly a big fan of the soft plastic artificial. I feel they give a
much more realistic look and feel to the bait compared to some other
artificial options. If you are going out in the bay head up the Brewster
shoreline between a mile and two miles offshore and look for birds. If
that doesn't work out for you do the same on the south edge of the
Billingsgate shoals. If you have your wire jigging rods you should do
very well but to have some real fun stick with the light stuff (spinning
rods and no more the 14 lb test).
DAY 3 - Monday 5/28: Back to the Marsh
Today I turned my attention to a different aquatic species. As the
clouds burned off and the temperature rose in the middle of the
afternoon I decided to put on the wetsuit and snorkel, and see if the
Lobsters were roaming the depths within Nauset Marsh. The good sign is
there were hundreds of shorts. The bad news is the majority of the big
guys and gals haven't moved in yet. I was however able to grab one that
over 2 pounds. I also did see some stripers on the flats as I cruised
around so for those fishing in this area you should still be in good
shape.
See you on the water!!
Andrew Beardsley Wade
Eastham, MA |
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05/26/07 |
Captain Jim's Cape Charters
Provincetown, MA
508.237.7701 |
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The Bay is alive with fish and birds!
Capt Jims Cape Charters did well over the weekend. From Wood
End to Race Point the action was good. No cows, but a lot of
28 to 30 inch fish mixed in with schoolies. Jigging and
umbrella rigs of course worked well.
Light tackle with swimmers and poppers also prove successful
as the bass were roaming and hungry.
Capt. Jim Shannon |
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05/31/07 |
Fishing Cape Cod Bay with Slam Dance Charters
Captain Steve Moore
Slam Dance Charters
Fishing this week in Cape Cod Bay has continued strong with some larger
fish in the 30-pound class beginning to show in various locations. It's
tough to tell what bait they are on, but one fish we kept recently had
both a mackerel and an adult pogie in its gut. There are probably some
squid around as well, along with the assorted smaller baits like sand
eels and grass shrimp. Many of the fish are still found up inside the
estuaries, rivers and creeks but there has also been some great action
out in the open waters of the Bay in some of the more popular areas such
as Billingsgate Shoal. Fish are also beginning to show on many of the
flats and especially along the edges of the flats in water 6-10 feet
deep. This week's upcoming full moon and generally wimpy tides have made
the fishing a bit more challenging and the fish seem to be less
aggressive than they were just a few days ago. Tides begin running
stronger next week after the moon, so I suspect things will continue to
improve. Most productive lures this week were unweighted 9-inch Sluggos
and large, noisy pencil poppers.
Tight Lines,
Captain Steve Moore
Slam Dance Charters |
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Fishing with Fin Addiction Charters
Capt. Jeff Smith
Fin
Addiction Charters
05/30/07
 I
had Greg and Lori Smith onboard today.We started in Wellfleet to only a
few swirls in the back bays and estuaries. We decided to move a bit at
the top of the tide and a good move it was. We got dozens of fish on top
with Greg getting the best fish. We did not measure or weigh but it was
looooooong and lean but it appeared to be 43-44 inches long. A very good
morning fishing. Later in the day we decided to hit the open water and
look for fish along the edges. We found them thick and unmolested and
they eagerly took size 2 and 4 hair head sandeels and lobster foam
poppers.It was silly fishing for 30-40 fish for an hour and all fish
came on top.
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Great day otw with the Smiths!!
Capt. Jeff Smith |
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05/23/07 |
Rock Harbor Fishing Report
By: Capt. Hap Farrell
Stunmai II
23 May 2007
The stripers have arrived!
 During
this last week and especially this last weekend we enjoyed
lovely overcast and rainy weather. It was perfect for lots
of indoor activities but not much in the way of fishing.
One charter boat out of Sesuit, the Prime Rate did get out
and found a number of bass west of the #3 can. He also
reported that there were lots of Mackerel over by Sesuit
Harbor by the Farway Buoy. This is a good sign.
This time of the season is when many changes take place.
Even with the cool and cloudy weather we have had, more and
more bass have moved into the Bay. From what we hear from
the Nantucket Sound side the bluefish have already arrived
in force so it will not be long
before they show up here. More times than not the first
bluefish will be landed in by the #3 and # 5 cans near
Billingsgate Island, most likely on the Eastham side of the
channel there. This inside of the elbow of Cape Cod seems to
be an important area as far as fish activity. It is also one
of the areas where we start catching the larger striped bass
of the season.
It is probably because it is where the water is the warmest
this time of the spring season. As the season progresses and
the weather warms the water these large schools of small
stripers move through this area. They stop off and feed as
the bait also migrate north. Some of these bass are just
legal fish and this makes for good early season fishing.
Now, as we
get into the middle and end of May we see schools of larger
fish move in. Some feel these fish have been here for a
while and were just up in the shallower water feeding on
some of the herring and small crabs found in those areas.
Once the water warms enough these larger bass move out in
the deeper water feeding on the same bait the smaller bass
had been feeding on, sand eels, squid and anything else that
might be swimming in the water. Last year during the same
period of time these large stripers found a number of squid
in the area of the inside of the elbow of the Cape, Right in
the area between Rock Harbor and Welfleet Harbor. Very handy
for us. It looks as if it is happening again. This last week
myself, John Shaklis on the Luau, Steve Ellis on the Watanya,
Don Viprino of the Osprey, and
Eric Stewart on the Hook Up have found a number of stripers
up on the Stoney Bar area. Some of these bass have been
close to 40 inches long. I’ve been told by Fran, at the
Goose Hummock, that he saw a striper landed in the Sunken
Meadow area that had to go 35 to 40 pounds. It was caught
from shore. There has to be some really big fish around.
Last year I
landed a few bass in the 42 inch range in the area between
the #3 can and #5 can in the Stoney Bar area. I used
hootchies most of the time and also some mackerel type
swimming plugs.
Memorial Day Weekend is coming up. It is the official start
of the spring fishing season and from all the signs it is
going to be a great season. For all of you with your own
boats you should have checked everything such as battery
condition, having a working radio or cell phone, life
preservers and all other safety equipment and a supply of
fuel filters with the
problems in the new fuel. Also, in this case water and
alcohol do not mix well. Unlike a car, you can not pull to
the side and walk home. Be very careful and enjoy the
holiday weekend and some good fishing.
For those who want to do some fishing and don’t have a boat,
come down to Rock Harbor. Talk to one of us and we’ll get
you out for some of the best fishing this season.
If you’d like to get in on some of this great fishing
give me a call at 508-240-8267 (Boat) or 508-255-6211
(Home).
Capt. Hap Farrell |
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05/14/07 |
Rock Harbor Fishing Report
By: Capt. Hap Farrell
Stunmai II
18 May 2007
The Season Starts
 Back
again... The winter has passed, the leaves are coming out on
the trees, and all is well with the Cape. Oh yes... The fish
are here too. I mean they are really here in force. Before I
get into what is happening in Cape Cod Bay I first must
mention the passing of a legend. Capt. Elmer Costa, own of
the Columbia in Rock Harbor, passed away this last November.
I was privileged to have known and fished with this
gentleman. Like most men of
his ilk, he was unique, a man who took on life with both
hands, shook it, and got the best it had to offer from it.
He will be sorely missed but his soul will live on in all
who knew him. I, personally, can still see his smiling face
after telling one of his many stories.
The Bay has come alive. By mid April more and more bait,
sand eels, squid, and small bait fish moved into the Bay. By
early May, as the water warmed up, there were the first
signs of the striped bass. Some small fish were seen in
Barnstable Harbor, then off Sesuit Harbor, after that Rock
Harbor and up by Welfleet. Pollock, haddock, and finally the
small striped bass showed up around P-town. The Bay filled
up with life. We even had a pod of whales off Dennis feeding
on the bounty of bait. By these signs it seems we’re going
to have some great
spring bass “fishing”...
A week ago my wife and I took a short ride over to the
Brewster Flats. Just about a mile west of Rock Harbor. Annie
noticed some working birds so we stopped and set out an
umbrella rig on my 150 ft. wire rod. Within seconds she was
on. The first fish of the season. It was a good sight even
though the fish was undersized and had to go back. Dinner
will have to wait for another day and a larger fish. It will
be well worth the wait. Annie hooked up 4 to 5 more times
with more than one fish on the rig each time. Within an hour
we we back in the harbor and her arms needed a rest.
Saturday afternoon, Eric Stewart, on the Hook Up, had his
brother and his friends out for a full day trip landing both
a good number of flounder and a
few legal sized stripers. He was fishing over by the # 3 and
# 5 cans near Billingsgate Island. This part of Cape Cod Bay
is truly active.
If the weather doesn’t go completely wacky and the Bay
freezes over, the stripers should stay in the area off the
Brewster Flat and around the Stoney Bar area for the next
week to two weeks. Then they may move west of the old Target
Ship, on the south edge of Billingsgate Shoals, or even on
top of the shoals. The warmer and sunnier the weather the
quicker the fish will move. Barnstable Harbor should come
alive with stripers also as well as up by P-town.
This last Sunday, the 13th, I had Andy La Mothe and some of
his friends out for my first half day trip of the season. We
left early in the morning and is was a bit cool out. In the
low forties. It didn’t take long to heat things up with the
first fish. It was a small bass taken on the umbrella rig.
Shortly after that we hooked up again. This was on a combo,
a hootchie followed by a swimming plug, in the outrigger.
This fish stayed in the box, 33
inches. By the end of the trip they had four keepers, dinner
for everyone. On Monday I took Garret La Scolo, from the
Goose Hummock, and Tyler Payne, from the Pleasant Bay
General Store, out for some fun with some really light gear.
They were using 6 and 8 pound test line on light trolling
rods. We didn’t get anything to keep, but the fishing was
fantastic.
If you’d like to get in on some of this early spring fishing
give me a call at 508-240-8267 (Boat) or 508-255-6211
(Home).
Capt. Hap Farrell |
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05/14/07 |
School’s In Session!
After a warm week and some good reports from our buddies out
of Rock Harbor, I decided to head out into Nauset Marsh via
Town Cove in Orleans and see if the young stripers where
patrolling the waters there as well. I set out with high
hopes and was not let down. We didn’t have to travel more
than 1 mile from the town dock (directly behind Goose
Hummock) when we are able to entice the first young schoolie
of the season. We never left the cove and were able to bring
in over 20 schoolies within an hour. So for those of you on
the lower cape questioning if it is still too early to dust
off the reels….it’s not! Break out the light tackle, small
jigs, and get out on the water!
We raced around all weekend, from Orleans to Chatham,
looking for some larger fish (possibly one for the dinner
table) and almost got it. We landed a fish just under 28
inches over in Chatham’s Stage Harbor (and on six pound test
that’s quite a fun battle). Although it was a little chilly
and the winds didn’t let up until Sunday night, it was a
great weekend of fishing and has excited me for the months
to come….It’s only going to get better from here on out.
Andrew B. Wade
Eastham, MA |
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05/14/07 |
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Capt. Hap Farrell |
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Stunmai II |
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I went out looking in Cape Cod Bay today. Just to see if there might be
some small schoolies up off the Brewster Flats near Paine’s Creek. I
didn’t get that far. My wife, Annie, came along so I told her to look
for working birds on the way. Immediately she said, “Like those over
there?” I set out an umbrella rig and in seconds had a fish on or should
I say four fish on the rig.
In less the forty minutes we probably landed over twenty fish. A few
were close to the 28 inch limit but not quite there. So, it is needless
to say there are a few fish in the Bay. Maybe a few hundred thousand. I
saw working birds from La Salett out to the west as far I as could see,
just off the Brewster Flats. They are here!!!
Capt. Hap Farrell |
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05/03/07 |
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Capt. Jeff Smith |
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Fin
Addiction Charters |
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I had a potential charter today which is about 2 weeks earlier than when
I
normally start but it was cancelled due to lack of consistent fishing
action
for quality fish on the south side….I worked into the previous nite to
get the
motor tuned up and dunked it in the water this morning at Wellfleet
Harbor for it’s second shakedown….She fired right up and I steamed out
at low tide
towards Billingsgate and all seemed well….It was great to be back on the
flats even with the lack of fish under a crisp blue sky with high sun…
With the weather being so nice, I decided to launch the boat later in
the day at Pamet and see if I could jig up some groundfish off the Race.
Fishing was great for market haddock but the legal cod avoided us as
they did for everyone else I talked to as well. There was tons of life
out there from the mouth of Pamet clear around the backside. I did not
see any herring or macks and the whales appeared to be feeding on
something a lot smaller possibly sand eels.
All in all a good first shakedown with just a bit of stumbling with the
motor….I have only about 10 gallons of old fuel left in the tank and
will
probably drain it out and fill with fresh and re-do the carb drain and
jet
clean procedure and I think it will take care of the small problems I am
having with the motor at this point….
My head is going to be down and working like a banshee the next 10-12
days on getting finished up with home improvement work I do for others
but might sneak in another trip before the middle of the month.
Stay tuned!
Captain Jeff Smith
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05/03/07
Offshore with Capt. Don Viprino
Osprey Sportfishing
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They have opened Stellwagon bank again putting a smile a lot
of fisherman's faces. Seems to be a good number of scrod and
market size, with a few steakers mixed in. Most of the
action has been from the jigs, bait has been producing some
of the larger fish. Race point has been holding the bait
very well as it usually does, which in turn is producing
lots of undersize cod.
There also has been a good number of pollack in the Race,
1/2 hour of fishing is giving most a box of pollack. I will
be fishing the end of next week and I'm looking to take a
run a little further offshore to see what I can find. There
is still lots of whales hanging around the Cape which is a
great sign for things to come.
There are lots of schoolie stripers around different areas
of the Cape as well. Pleasant Bay is running heavy right now
along with most of our smaller rivers and jettys. The larger
fish won't be far behind. We have been having a great run on
herring as well. Eastham to Brewster to Chatham is loaded
everywhere. Its going to be great season!!!! |
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04/27/07
Some random thoughts...
By: Capt. Jack Riley
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Some random thoughts...with water
temperatures hovering between 46 to 49 degrees the offshore bite for
stripers and bluefish has been slow to non existent from Ct. to NH. The
schoolies are abundant in all the tidal rivers and estuaries of New
England but catching a 28" fish is tough. All of the herring runs are
right on schedule so the big guys can't be far behind. Let's hope the
Comerants leave a few herring for the stripers.
Cod fishing has picked up on Stellwagon and Jefferies with fish up to
40#. With a nice mix of Pollack thrown in.
If the water temps reach 51 to 52 degrees at Martha's Vineyard by the
end of May we should have great striper fishing. Temperatures in Cape
Cod Bay are a little cooler than normal due to the Labrador Current but
could warm up in the next week or two. It looks like the Bay will heat
up towards the end of May with Nantucket and The Vineyard producing in
the early part of June. Then the migration will reach Monomoy at the end
of June. When they arrive it will be lights out Bass fishing in July for
all the rips and shoals in Nantucket Sound.
With any luck school tuna will show up on Crab Ledge east of Chatham in
mid-June. Keep your fingers crossed and we will tell you when they
arrive. Last year our East of Chatham Squid Bars were the favorite with
Tuna Trains and Ballyhoo close behind.
Captain Jack Riley
info@maverickchartersltd.com
Maverick Charters |
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