Hi Everyone,
Here’s a recap of what’s been happening on the grounds since last Friday. The big blow last Friday and Saturday limited mobility somewhat, but Capts. Tom, Josh and Kirk still managed to put a good amount of fish in the boat. The past three days have offered much more comfortable weather conditions and better fishing as well. Dogfish have returned and are proving to be a bit of a nuisance for the bait dunkers, but anglers fishing a single baited hook close to the sinker have for the most part been able to avoid them and put the good meat in the boat. Fishing a jig, of course, is another way to work around the dogs and will also likely produce the larger cod and pollock.
9/18: The second fall overnighter aboard the Yankee Freedom departed on Thursday night, with Capt. Tom at the wheel. He deemed it a “very interesting” trip weather-wise; to begin the morning on Friday, they encountered a large easterly swell running into a stiff west wind. This made for a roiled, confused sea and very difficult conditions on the anchor, with the boat constantly swinging and making tending bottom a challenge for the hardy crew of anglers. They experienced just a slow pick of cusk and haddock during the morning. In the afternoon, the wind let up and they were able to get a more consistent anchor heading, and anglers picked away at haddock and cod, enjoying a couple of solid surges of cod in the 24-26-inch range. Capt. Tom called the trip fair overall, with a slow, uncomfortable morning but with some better conditions and action on quality fish during the second half of the trip.
Capt. Kirk ran Friday’s open boat day trip aboard the Yankee Patriot. They encountered the same 25-knot west wind, and their mobility was somewhat limited. Still, for the majority of the day anglers managed to pick away at the haddock with some cod mixed in. Kirk deemed the trip fair as a whole.
9/19:
Capt. Josh was at the wheel for the 6-3 open boat on the Yankee Clipper, and reports that they once again were plagued by strong winds and big seas. Nevertheless, anglers ground it out and managed a slow steady pick on cod, cusk and haddock, with a few stray pollock thrown in for good measure.
On the Yankee Patriot, Capt. Kirk reports that anglers picked away at cusk and haddock in sloppy seas for a few hours before making the decision to call the trip a wash and head back to the dock early. They were tied back up at East Gloucester Marina by two o’clock.
9/20:
Finally, the weather was good on Sunday, and Capt. Josh reports a good day of fishing overall aboard the Yankee Clipper. In the morning, until the tide change at 11:30, anglers contended with a strong current but picked away at a mix of cusk and haddock, with a few coming up at all times. After the tide change, the haddock really began to chew, and they enjoyed a strong pick on the silver ones for last hour and forty-five minutes of the trip. High hooks had in excess of a dozen haddock.
9/21:
Capt. Kirk reports a very good day aboard the Yankee Patriot on Monday, fishing an area he hadn’t visited since earlier in the summer. Their first drift, which lasted almost two hours, yielded a mix of nice market cod in the 12-20-pound range and a pile of big haddock, averaging around five pounds each! Jig fishermen had fish-a-cast action on the larger cod and haddock while the bait guys filled up th bags with haddock. The next drift offered more of the same, with more nice cod and a large 20-pound cusk as well, the largest of the season thus far. After the bite slowed a bit, Kirk made a shift into some deeper water, where anglers enjoyed fast action on cod of mixed sizes, haddock, and the ubiquitous cusk. Kirk said that by day’s end anglers had put a few dozen cod over 12 pounds in the boat, including around 10 over 18 pounds. One of them, a 21-pounder, beat out a gaggle of close contenders to take pool honors.
Capt. Josh, who had a charter on the Yankee Clipper, also reports a good day of fishing, with large haddock making up the vast majority of legal landings. Some cusk and cod were in the mix too, including a couple of market cod in the 14-17-pound range.
9/22: Capt. Josh sailed with a light load of anglers on today’s limited trip on the Yankee Clipper, and sounded quite pleased with the results by day’s end, calling it a good trip overall. They fished on the anchor all day, enjoying steady action on cusk and haddock with the occasional slug of cod mixed in. The last stop of the day produced an 18-pound wolfish as well as six big white hake in the 15-25-pound range, the largest of which took pool honors. I suspect we’ll be seeing more of those guys as the fall progresses!
Willy