Bunny Clark Fishing Update
Written & Edited by Tim Tower
Tuesday, September 25, 2018, 6:00 AM EDT
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At 5:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 70°F, the sky was overcast (or it seemed to be with the fog), there was no wind ashore and the visibility over the ocean was poor in dense fog. The fog along the shore stayed dense for a couple of hours anyway. It was so thick it looked like it had been raining. Everything was wet. The fog started to back off at 8:00 AM and was still along the shore at 9:00 AM, but far enough off so that you could see the water along the rocks. The fog backed off at least a mile or more from shore after that. The sky was overcast all morning, sunny after noon. I did not look at the air temperature today. But it was hot and humid or, at least, very warm and humid. The wind was light and variable all day. The ocean was flat calm with wind patches that were variable in direction. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 88°F with a low of 70°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 88°F (with a low of 68°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 83°F (with a low of 69°F).
On the fishing grounds, the wind was light and variable in direction. The ocean's surface was calm. The air temperature reached a high of 76°F. The tide (current) was moderate. The visibility ranged from a quarter of a mile to a half mile in fog. The sky seemed overcast for the trip and probably was. The surface water temperature reached a high of 65°F.
The fishing conditions were very good. The tide was fine, the weather was excellent and the sea state was excellent. The large number of dogfish kept the fishing conditions from being excellent. The catching was very good. Landings were good to very good. Most legal fish landed were haddock, by far. The haddock cull was about 50/50 legal fish to short fish, the edge going to the legal fish. Legal landings also included eight pollock, of good size and two big mackerel. Released fish included one hundred and twelve dogfish, five cod of 5 pounds or better and a very few small cod and pollock. Drifting was the method. All terminal gear worked well.
Ed Olsen (VT) won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, an 18 pound pollock. Ed's largest cod weighed 10.5 pounds, the largest cod of the trip. The second largest fish was a 17.5 pound pollock caught by Kent Libby (NJ). Seb Olsen (VT) caught the third largest fish, a 15.5 pound pollock.
Other Angler Highlights: John Libby (NJ) landed a 14 pound pollock, the fourth largest fish caught today. Vincent Cavalieri (VT) landed the hard luck award for reaching high hurler status.
Captain Ian Keniston and Miki Alroy ran the afternoon half day (4 PM to 8 PM) trip. On the fishing grounds, the wind blew out of the south southwest at five to ten knots. Seas were chops of a foot. The air temperature reached a high of 81°F. The sky was sunny. The tide (current) was moderate. The visibility ranged from three to five miles in thick haze and some fog. The surface water temperature reached a high of 70°F.
The fishing conditions were nearly excellent. The ocean was fairly calm, the tide was no problem, there were few dogfish and the weather conditions couldn't have been much better. However, almost half the anglers on the Bunny Clark this evening were sea sick or not fishing because they didn't feel good! Neither Ian nor I could figure out why this was so. Never have we had so many anglers under the weather with such good conditions. So the fishing suffered because of it. There were just not enough lines in the water. The catching was very good. Landings were fair. The only landed fish today was the haddock. There were no other legal sized or legal specied fish caught. Released fish included a few small cod, quite a few small pollock and one dogfish. They anchored for every stop. Only bait and a few cod flies were used.
I know that there was one angler who caught three or more legal haddock. I didn't get his name. But he had a half a bag of fillets when he got off the boat. Bob Lawton (ME) won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, a 3 pound haddock. He also tied for the second largest fish, a 2.5 pound haddock. Ralph Papa (MA) also caught a 2.5 pound haddock. All the rest of the haddock caught this evening were haddock of 2 pounds each. There were quite a few of them. Dave Mordell (NY) was the high hurler for the evening. But he also attempted fishing. And he caught a good sized legal haddock, which swung over the deck and then back over the water, off the hook and swam back to bottom. Ian felt that Dave, indeed, deserved the hard luck award t-shirt!
At 5:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 73°F, the sky was mostly clear, there was no wind ashore except maybe a very light west northwest breeze and the visibility over the ocean was good to very good in some haze. The humidity was back again today but we really didn't feel it until 10:00 AM. The air temperature remained in the 70°s by then so the dew point had to be lower. Otherwise, there would have been fog. By 1:00 PM, however, it was humid and the air temperature had reached 87°F in Perkins Cove. We had a light westerly or northwest breeze in Perkins Cove all day. It remained sunny all day. The visibility remained good in some haze. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 91°F with a low of 75°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 87°F (with a low of 63°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 85°F (with a low of 63°F).
On the fishing grounds, there was no wind. The ocean was flat ass calm. The air temperature reached a high of 81°F and it was hot. The tide (current) was moderate. The visibility good in haze. The sky was clear and sunny. The surface water temperature reached a high of 70°F.
The fishing was very good to excellent. The conditions were exactly like yesterday except they caught half the dogfish. So it was closer to a perfect score. The catching was very good as were the landings. There were far more fish caught today than there were yesterday. In fact, they caught double the number of legal fish today than they did yesterday. Most legal fish landed were haddock. The haddock cull was 60/40, legal to sub-legal fish, favoring the legal fish. Legal fish landed also included thirty-nine pollock, three cusk and four mackerel. Released fish included sixty-one dogfish, eight cod of 5 pounds or better, a wolffish that might have been 12 pounds or more and a few small cod and lots of small pollock. Drifting was the boating method. All terminal gear worked well today.
High hook would have been hard to determine but, by looking at the bags, I would say it was either Brian Murphy (NH) or Dick Lyle (NY). Ian wouldn't commit. Tom Daigle, Sr. (NH), who was second hook on the boat Tuesday, won the boat pool today for the largest fish with the largest fish, a 13.5 pound pollock. The second largest fish of the trip was a 12 pound cod caught by Sean McIntyre (NH). Marian "Merv" Murphy (NH) caught the third largest fish, a 10 pound cod.
Other Angler Highlights: Remington Walls (MD) landed the hard luck award for losing a single jig. There very few hard luck award contestants today. And that's a good thing!
I received two donations sponsoring me in the Pan-Mass Challenge today, an cycling event that was completed before noon on Sunday, August 5th. A ride for a cancer cure that I have now completed twelve seasons in a row and have collected over $300,000.00 in donations in that amount of time. Today's donations were a generous $100.00 from Brian & Merv Murphy and another generous $100.00 from John Kick (MA) in the form of an "egift" through the PMC site. John won the boat pool on Tuesday's trip. Thank you so very much for your help. Merv made the comment about my fund raising; "You rock!" Which, coming from her (from some of the best singer/song writers I know), really truly means something! I do so appreciate the support, both financially and mentally!
Mark Blaisdell, out of the kindness of his heart, was the deck hand today after eighteen years, the last time he worked for me. He was a little rusty but not too bad. And he has always been great with the people. Thanks, Mark!
At 5:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 63°F, the sky was mostly clear, the wind was light out of the north and the visibility over the ocean was very good. Ashore, the wind was light from the northeast or east. After noon, the wind hauled out of the southeast but this wind did not blow that hard either. The sky was clear all day but hazy clear starting at 5:00 PM. The air temperature reached a high of 75°F, or at least that's the highest air temperature that I saw in Perkins Cove. Out of the wind, the air temperature seemed much warmer. But maybe that was because of the added humidity as well. It wasn't as humid as yesterday but it was still humid. The visibility over the ocean was very good. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 80°F with a low of 70°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 83°F (with a low of 61°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 77°F (with a low of 58°F).
On the fishing grounds, the wind blew out of the east at five knots or less. The ocean's surface was calm. The air temperature reached a high of 75°F. It was very humid out there today. The sky was a mix of sun and clouds. The tide (current) was moderate to strong. The visibility ranged from fifteen to twenty miles in some haze. The surface water temperature reached a high of 69°F.
The fishing conditions were very good overall. I think the conditions would have been excellent but the tide was a little too strong for the conditions to reach that category. The catching was very good. Landings were good to very good, depending. Most legal fish landed were haddock, by far. The haddock cull was 60/40 favoring the legal fish. Legal fish landed also included thirty pollock, thirteen cusk and six mackerel. Released fish included eighteen cod of 5 pounds or more, two wolffish and a few small cod and pollock. They didn't catch a single dogfish today. Drifting was the only method available. All terminal gear worked about the same.
Dave Piel (CT) was high hook with the most legal fish. He didn't catch a single fish over 8 pounds. Bob Piel (CT) won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, a 19.5 pound pollock. Bill Kolo (CT) had been leading the boat pool all day with a cod that weighed 10.5 pounds. Bob caught his big pollock a half hour before it was time to leave the fishing grounds to go home! Bob's cod was the second largest fish of the trip. The third largest fish was an 8 pound cusk caught by Captain Frank Rogers (CT).
Other Angler Highlights: Nicky Martin (VT) landed the hard luck award for getting the most tangled lines, mainly because of her seating position on the boat.
The impending thunder showers scared the anglers off the half day trip tonight.
At 5:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 72°F, the sky was not quite overcast, the wind was blowing out of the southwest at ten knots (it had been blowing harder, earlier this morning) and the visibility over the ocean was very good. The wind hauled out of the west after daylight and blew out of the west with some gusts to fifteen knots ashore. Mostly the winds were light. The air temperature reached a high of 82°F in Perkins Cove. Or, at least, that was the highest temperature value that I saw. It was raining before 4:00 AM this morning, it stopped and then started raining again at 6:30 AM. It rained for half an hour, lightly, and stopped. It rained lightly after that but not for long. After 1:00 PM, it rained lightly and then stopped for most of the afternoon. There was no wind with the rain. The sky remained overcast all day with low lying clouds. The visibility was good in some haze. It was a bit humid but not over-bearing. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 88°F with a low of 67°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 79°F (with a low of 68°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 82°F (with a low of 64°F).
On the fishing grounds, the wind blew out of the west southwest at ten to fifteen knots. Seas were chops of one to three feet. The air temperature reached a high of 73°F under the canopy top. The tide (current) was very strong. They drift fished right into the wind all morning. The visibility ranged from five to ten miles in haze. The sky was a mix of sun and clouds. It was humid. The surface water temperature reached a high of 68°F.
The fishing was good to very good. The strong tide, the few dogfish and the sea state were not the greatest. The catching was good to very good, as was the landings. Most legal fish landed were haddock, by far. The haddock cull was 60/40, favoring the legal fish. Legal landings also included twenty-four pollock and two cusk. Released fish included twenty-six dogfish, twenty-two cod of 5 pounds or better and a few small cod and pollock. Drifting was the method. All terminal gear worked well.
Jerry Charron (ME) was high hook with the most legal fish caught. I don't believe he had a fish much over 8 pounds. Sheri Fister (ME) won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, a 37 pound barndoor skate. This is the largest barndoor skate that has ever been caught on the Bunny Clark, ever! The largest barndoor skate before Sheri's was a 33 pounder caught by Wayne Statham (QC) in 2015. They are still considered an endangered species so they can't be kept. Ian took a picture of Anthony holding this big skate with Sheri standing beside him. This digital image appears on the left. The second largest fish weighed 13 pounds. There were two, both cod. Armand Rousselle (ME) caught one and Tim Greene (MA) caught the other.
Other Angler Highlights: Peter Grant (ME) caught a 10 pound cod, his largest fish. Brian Robinson (NH) caught the largest pollock at 11.5 pounds. Joe Cresta (ME) was high hurler today and landed the hard luck award for his condition. It wasn't good. I heard he spent the day in the Hotel Bunny Clark. At least it wasn't a long marathon fishing trip!
Captain Ian Keniston and Anthony Palumbo ran the afternoon half day (4 PM to 8 PM) trip. On the fishing grounds, the wind blew lightly out of the southwest for the ride out. The ocean was calm. Two miles from the fishing grounds, the wind struck out of the northeast at twenty knots all at once but then backed off. Winds sustained at ten knots out of the northeast for the time they were out there fishing. Seas were two feet in chops, more or less. The air temperature reached a high of 71°F. The sky was overcast. The tide (current) was moderate. The visibility ranged from fifteen to twenty miles. The humidity was nearly gone. The surface water temperature reached a high of 67°F.
The fishing conditions were very good. There were no dogfish, the sea state wasn't bad and current was not bad. The catching was good. Landings were good. Legal landings included one pollock, four cusk, four squid and thirty-five mackerel. Released fish included one short haddock, two wolffish, one cod over 5 pounds and a few small pollock, cod and mackerel. They anchored for the evening. Everyone used bait. Some added a cod fly to the bait rig.
Josh Riley (NY) was high hook with three legal fish. Those fish included an 8.25 pound cusk, a 2 pound cusk and a 5 pound cusk. His biggest cusk was the second largest fish of the trip. Jim Sullivan (NH) won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, an 8.5 pound cusk. The third largest fish was a 7.5 pound wolffish caught by Keenan Beaudette (ME).
Other Angler Highlights: Seven year old Ben Viscosi (NY) caught a 5 pound cod, the first fish that Ian could start with for the boat pool. Alex Jennings (NY) landed the only legal pollock. The fish weighed 3.5 pounds. A very frustrated Elliot Lacki (CT) landed the hard luck award for not catching a single fish (legal or sub-legal). He kept losing his bait!
At 5:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 65°F, the sky was clear, the wind was blowing out of the north at ten knots and the visibility over the ocean was very good to excellent. The wind blew out of the northeast at speeds up to fifteen knots sustained with higher gusts. The wind hauled out of the east by mid afternoon and then dropped in velocity. By 9:00 PM, there was no wind in Perkins Cove. The sky was clear all day. The sun was bright with much less haze. The humidity was down. The highest air temperature that I observed was 73°F. The visibility was excellent all day. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 73°F with a low of 67°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 79°F (with a low of 58°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 75°F (with a low of 58°F).
Meanwhile, I was on my annual "Labor Day Century Ride" with cyclists I only ride with once a year. It's a great ride, we take our time, stop to have breakfast and ride home. I was on my bike in Old Orchard Beach when Deb called me about Ian's plight on the high seas. Ian and Miki had everything under control but it still weighs on your mind. My mind. And I wasn't comfortable until the boat was back in Perkins Cove and I had found out everything worked out well - not so well in a business sense. I got back to Ogunquit at 1:00 PM after completing ninety of the most enjoyable cycling miles I have had this season. I was back on the job at Barnacle Billy's restaurants by 1:30 PM. I worked straight through until 9:30 PM.
I received two donations sponsoring me in my cancer fund raising cycling event called the Pan-Mass Challenge today. The ride took place the weekend of August 4th but the fund raising continues until the end of the year and cancer never sleeps. One donation was a generous $50.00 from Jack Judge (CT/ME). The other was a $25.00 donation from Linda Palaza (MA). Thank you both so very much for support and your kindness. Having people like you behind me on this project just cements my resolve to keep doing this long into the future. Much appreciated!
At 5:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 64°F, the sky was clear, the wind was blowing out of the northeast at five knots, you could hear the bell buoy clanging away in the cooler air and the visibility over the ocean was excellent. Ashore, the wind blew up out of the northeast at fifteen knots or so by 9:00 AM. This wind continued through the morning but started to back off after noon. At 3:00 PM, the wind was out of the east at six knots, just enough to ruffle a flag. There was no wind at 6:00 PM. The ocean along the shore was calm. The highest air temperature that I saw in Ogunquit was 75°F. It still seemed a bit humid but the drop in air temperature sure helped. The sky was clear all day, nearly cloudless. The visibility seemed excellent. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 74°F with a low of 67°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 78°F (with a low of 56°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 73°F (with a low of 58°F).
On the fishing grounds, the wind blew out of the east at fifteen to ten knots. Seas were chops of three to two feet that diminished during the day. The air temperature reached a high of 67°F. The visibility ranged from fifteen to twenty miles. There was still a little haze. The sky was very clear and sunny. The tide (current) was moderate. The surface water temperature reached a high of 67°F.
The fishing conditions were very good, the catching was very good as were the landings. It was a great day for pollock. Most legal fish landed were pollock. Legal landings also included twenty-eight haddock and eight cusk. Released fish included twenty-four cod over 5 pounds, fifty-four short haddock, twenty-one dogfish and a few small pollock and cod. They drift fished and anchored. All terminal gear worked well but cod flies caught the most pollock, as they normally do.
Jim Garanin (MA) was high hook with the most legal fish, a pile of, mostly, pollock. His largest fish was a 14 pound cod, the second largest fish of the trip. Mike Shirley (MA) won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, a 22 pound pollock. This pollock ties for the ninth largest pollock of the Bunny Clark fishing season so far. Mike also caught a 13 pound cod, the third largest fish of the trip.
Other Angler Highlights: Ed Agoes (NH) caught the first fish that Ian could weigh. The fish was a 10 pound pollock. Ryan Delaney (MA) caught a 12 pound pollock, one of the bigger fish of the trip. John Russell (ME) landed the best double of the day. His catch included a 12.5 pound pollock and an 11 pound pollock, both fish caught on the same line at the same time. John's largest cod weighed 10 pounds. Andrew Evans (VT) caught a 10 pound pollock, his largest fish. Gilles Guenette (NB) landed the hard luck award for being a bit under the weather, as it concerned his equilibrium!
At 5:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 59°F, the sky was clear, there was no wind, the ocean along the shore was glassy and the visibility over it was excellent.
When we left Perkins Cove to head for the fishing grounds, I was surprised at how much of a sea was left over. The seas appeared to be left over three or four foot chops from a wind, maybe offshore, that we certainly didn't see or feel. They were coming from the southeast. They certainly weren't big enough to impede our travel. But it was hubbly enough to get some anglers sea sick when we got to the fishing grounds.
On the grounds, we had a similar left over chop/swell that seemed to be further apart than they were inside. The wind was light out of the northeast, no more than five knots or slightly more. And there might have been a one foot chop associated with the wind. The air temperature was warm, a reading of 71°F was the high value that I saw under the canopy top. The sky was sunny all day. With the lack of wind, it seemed very warm indeed out in the open. The tide (current) was light to moderate. The visibility ranged to twenty-five miles or excellent. The surface water temperature reached a high of 67°F. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 72°F with a low of 65°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 73°F (with a low of 53°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 72°F (with a low of 56°F).
The fishing, catching and landings were all very good today. There were very few tangles, very few dogfish, the drift was perfect and there were fish coming in all the time. Most legal fish landed were haddock, by far. The haddock cull was about 50/50, legal to sub-legal fish, favoring the legal haddock. Legal landings also included twenty-eight pollock, four cusk, a redfish and a halibut. Released fish included eleven cod of 5 pounds or greater, six dogfish, three blue sharks and a few small cod and pollock. Drifting was the method. All terminal gear worked well.
Jay Rowe (NH) won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, a 95 pound Maine state trophy halibut. It was the last fish in the boat! I was in the cockpit working on a tangle when I heard Mike Horwitz (NH) tell some of the anglers in the forward part of the cockpit to reel up. Curious, I finished the tangle and went to the bow to find Jay fighting a big fish, with a jig stick, butt of the rod in his gut and rod bent almost double. We had had a couple of blue sharks on the lines today. So, initially, I thought it was another blue shark. But it really wasn't taking any line. And when it did take line it didn't take a lot. Of course, I wasn't up in the bow when Jay first hooked the fish. Knowing what it could be (as a fish), I had everyone on the boat reel up their lines. After twenty minutes of fighting this fish, we finally got to the leader where I could see the color - brown! A halibut? It fought like no other halibut I had ever seen. I should qualify that. There were two halibut that have been landed on the Bunny Clark that fought like no other halibut I had ever seen. Both were foul hooked. This halibut was the same. It was hooked in the middle of the back about four inches behind the pectoral fin. No wonder it took so long to reel in. If it were a six foot piece of sheet metal hooked in the middle it would have been not too much different.
It still took a long time, it seemed, to bring the fish to the surface from the time we first saw the leader knot, with the fish still thirty feet down, until it reached gaffing range. So I yelled to Miki in the cockpit to "get up here" and bring another gaff. Miki is a strong guy. And I was going to need him if I expected to get this fish over the bow rail. And Mike Horwitz was standing beside me with a gaff in hand as well. When the fish did reach the surface, I gaffed it first, got it's head out of the water and then Miki, followed by Mike, put two gaffs into it as well. The three of us hauled it over the bow rail and onto the forward deck. I couldn't believe it. Another big halibut this year boated because Jay hooked it in the skin of the back. Why that jig didn't pull out of that fish with all the pressure he was putting on the rod I will never know.
I don't know if I could have weighed this fish without Miki aboard. The fish looked like it might be over 100 pounds but it was close enough so that I had to try weighing it with the 100 pound scale I keep aboard. You lose weight when you have to cut a fish up and weigh the pieces. So Miki held the scale while I adjusted it to get the exact weight. And it was exactly 95 pounds. It was 57.5 inches long. I have a halibut chart that comes from the west coast, maybe Alaska, that gives weights for each halibut length in increments of an inch. At 57 inches the halibut was supposed to weigh 92 pounds. At 58 inches the halibut was supposed to weigh 98 pounds. So I would say that the chart is pretty much right on. And it has been for all but one of our halibut this season.
Jay's halibut is the fifth largest that we have boated on the Bunny Clark this season. It's also the fifth largest halibut that the Bunny Clark has ever had on her decks. All five of our biggest halibut have been caught this year. It is the Bunny Clark's twenty-third halibut of the season. Most of these halibut have been too small to keep. I took a picture of Jay's halibut with Miki and Jay holding it together. This digital image appears on the left. In the picture, Miki is the one with the serious look in his face (left). Jay has the mustache. The fish looks smaller in the picture than it appeared in real life. But that's because Miki is 6' 6" tall and Jay is 6' 4" tall! I can tell you that Jay fought that fish like an excellent seasoned angler. And I guess the proof is in the pudding!
Mike Horwitz caught the second largest fish of the trip, a 22 pound pollock, his second largest pollock in at least ten years. He caught his largest pollock in ten years, a 23 pounder, with me on Tuesday, August 7th. When I gaffed this one today I thought it might be bigger. But it wasn't. This weight puts Mike's fish in a tie for the ninth largest pollock of the Bunny Clark season to date. Mike led the boat pool all day with this fish until Jay boated the halibut. Had Mike won the pool today it would have been his third pool in a row having won on the 7th with the 23 and on a trip with one of the Eastman's boats out of Seabrook, New Hampshire, last week. Mike likes the Eastman's boats. Mike was high hook with fourteen legal fish and some good cod, two of which were 11 pounds each.
The third largest fish was a 16.5 pound pollock caught by Tim Kimball (NH).
Other Angler Highlights: Fred Buthe (NY) caught a pollock that weighed 12.5 pounds, his largest fish. Richard Guyette (NY) caught a 10.5 pound cod, his largest fish. His father fished with me for years and caught cod over 40 pounds a couple of times. Now his father is unable to make it up here. But Richard came with son, Carter, who looks like a chip off his grandfather's block and did very well fishing. So I'm looking for the tradition to continue! Kerri Casetta (MA) caught the largest haddock at 6 pounds. Last week a 6 pound haddock was caught, the largest haddock we had seen since mid July. Kerri's haddock was another beautiful fish like Vanessa's a week ago, the two biggest haddock we have seen since mid July! Kerri also caught a 7 pound pollock. Dylan LeBlanc (VT) landed the hard luck award for being a bit green around the gills and for not catching a single legal fish. We had another who was the high hurler of the day but Chandler Orman (ME/DC) didn't wet a line so I gave the shirt to the younger of the two as Dylan, at least, tried. And, besides, Chandler has earned a similar shirt on a previous trip! He was wearing it today!
We did not have enough passengers to make the afternoon trip today. Probably a good thing with the seas making up as large as they were today.
At 5:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 65°F, the sky was overcast, the wind was blowing out of the south at ten knots and the visibility over the ocean was excellent. By 6:00 AM, the fog had rolled in and it was drizzling with light rain. An hour later, the rain was more consistent. The visibility had dropped to fair in haze, fog and rain. The visibility became poor by 9:00 AM with very heavy rain. The continued for most of the morning. I never did see the high air temperature in Perkins Cove. But I suspect it was about 73°F to 75°F. The rain slowed to just a drizzle by noon. It stopped by 2:00 PM but the sky remained overcast until about 3:00 PM. The sky was a mix of sun and clouds for the rest of the day. There was very little wind but most of it was blowing out of the south. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 84°F with a low of 66°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 78°F (with a low of 64°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 79°F (with a low of 64°F).
On the fishing grounds, it rained like a tropical rain at times with water pouring straight down out of the sky. When it wasn't raining that hard, the light rain was blowing sideways with a southeast wind of fifteen knots more or less. They had southeast rolling sea swells of four feet or less on a consistent basis. Wind chops were one to two feet. The sea state was confused at best but not really, what we would call, rough. The air temperature reached a high of 68°F. The current was moderate to strong. The visibility was poor in fog, heavy rain, haze, mist and light blowing rain. The sky was overcast for the whole trip. The surface water temperature reached a high of 66°F.
The fishing conditions were poor. There were at most eight anglers fishing. The rain prevented some from venturing out from under the canopy top. Some were sea sick. Some were nervous and, maybe, a bit scared. One angler questioned Ian about the rough sea state. People who don't do this every day will always wonder and feel uneasy. Those who fished saw a lot of dogfish, a stronger than normal current and the inability to control their gear on the bottom. The catching was very good. The dogfish, many sub-legal pollock and all the other fish kept anglers busy. Landings were good. Most legal fish landed were haddock, by far. The haddock cull was 60/40, favoring the legal sized haddock over the short haddock. Legal landings also included nine pollock and two mackerel. Released fish included quite a few sub-legal pollock, sixty-five dogfish and a sculpin. Not a single cod of any size was seen today, probably a first for a trip of eight hours or more in Bunny Clark history. They drifted at first but, as the tide got stronger, they were forced to anchor. More fish were caught while drifting. All terminal gear worked about the same.
The fish were small today, being mostly haddock. Ray Millett (ME) won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, a 7.5 pound pollock. The second largest fish was a 6 pound pollock caught by Skyler Goff (NC). There really weren't any other fish close to the 6 pound mark. Barbara York (NY) landed the hard luck award for losing two jigs. I guess Ian could have picked someone who was the most sea sick. But here is the problem. Ian couldn't discern who it might have been.
The weather forecast killed the afternoon trip for us today. In fact, it killed business in general today in Ogunquit. Too bad the weather forecasters aren't nearly as good as the technology available.
At 5:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 64°F, the sky was very clear, the wind was blowing out of the west at ten knots (more or less) and the visibility over the ocean was very good, at least. At sunrise, the wind was blowing out of the northwest at a maximum of ten knots. By noon, the wind had hauled out of the west or west northwest. Wind speeds were about ten knots at most. The highest air temperature that I observed in Perkins Cove was 78°F. There was very little humidity. The sky was mostly clear and very sunny. The visibility was excellent. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 80°F with a low of 66°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 78°F (with a low of 52°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 77°F (with a low of 57°F).
On the fishing grounds, the wind blew out of the northwest at five to ten knots. Seas were chops of one to two feet, at most. The air temperature reached a high of 68°F. The visibility ranged to over twenty miles. The tide (current) was moderate. The sky was clear and sunny. The surface water temperature reached a high of 67°F.
The fishing conditions were very good, almost excellent. The catching was also very good. Landings were good. This mostly due to the smaller than normal fish, like the sub-legal pollock and haddock, that took the place of a fish that could be put in the boat. Most legal fish landed were pollock, by far. These pollock were not big pollock, 3 to 5 pounds at most with one exception. Legal landings also included thirty-six haddock and twelve cusk. The haddock cull was almost 60/40 with the edge going to the sub-legal fish. Released fish included twelve cod over 5 pounds, twenty-two dogfish and the smaller cod and small pollock. Drifting was the method. All terminal gear worked well.
Russ Dion (CT) won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, a 12 pound cod. He also caught the largest pollock of the trip weighing in at 7.5 pounds. The second largest fish was a 10 pound cusk caught by Frank Spinale (NH). Mykola "Nick" Sych (UA) caught the third largest fish, a 9 pound cod.
Other Angler Highlights: Larry Baker (ME) was the clear cut winner of the hard luck award after he lost three of our jigs at $10.00 a jig!
Captain Ian Keniston and Anthony Palumbo ran the afternoon half day (4 PM to 8 PM) trip. On the fishing grounds, the wind blew out of the west northwest at five to ten knots. Seas were one to two feet in chops. The air temperature reached a high of 75°F. The sky was clear and sunny. The tide (current) was moderate. The visibility ranged from fifteen to twenty miles and beyond. The humidity was way down. The surface water temperature reached a high of 67°F.
The fishing, catching and landings were very good. Most legal fish landed were haddock, with many more legal haddock than short haddock. Legal landings also included four squirrel hake and four mackerel. Released fish included five short cod, a few mackerel and a few short pollock. There were no dogfish caught this evening. They anchored for every spot fished. Everyone used bait. Some used bait and cod flies.
Mark Farr (VT) won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, a 3 pound haddock. The second largest fish was a haddock that weighed 2.5 pounds and caught by Bill Quinn (MA). The hard luck award was won by Terry Shaw (NJ) who had the most and worst tangles of the evening!
I received three donations sponsoring me in my cancer fund raising cycling event with the Pan-Mass Challenge today. The ride was completed before noon on August 5th but the fund raising never stops. Nor does cancer take a rest. These donors and their donations are as follows: Bob Munroe & Linda Burgess (MA) for $40.00 (they had already donated $40.00 earlier in the year), Ken & Carolyn Erikson (ME) for a very generous $250.00 and Howie & Barbara Goldenfarb (ME) for a very generous $250.00. Thank you all so very much for your support and help. Your generosity is overwhelming and much appreciated by more than just me!
At 5:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 56°F, the sky was semi-overcast with a contiguous canopy of cloud cover that showed patches of clear sky, the wind was light out of the west southwest and the visibility over the ocean was excellent. The wind blew lightly out of the southwest for most of the morning. After noon, the wind hauled out of the south where it remained for the rest of the day. The ocean was calm along the shore. The sky was sunny and clear for most of the day. The visibility was very good or better than that. The high air temperature in Perkins Cove, that I saw, was 80°F. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 85°F with a low of 62°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 85°F (with a low of 49°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 80°F (with a low of 54°F).
With the boat tied to the dock, my day concentrated on the restaurants. That was my day.
At 5:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 63°F, the sky was cloudless, the wind was light out of the southwest and the visibility over the ocean was very good in some haze. The wind blew out of the south after sunrise. Wind speeds ranged up to ten knots, maybe a little bit more at times. The sky was cloudless at dawn but a high thin contiguous cloud cover gave the sun a milky appearance. A smurry sun, as my father would have called it. The air temperature reached a high of 80°F in Perkins Cove, that I saw. The visibility was good, at least, in some haze. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 82°F with a low of 66°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 83°F (with a low of 55°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 77°F (with a low of 58°F).
On the fishing grounds, the wind blew out of the southwest at ten knots. Seas were chops of two feet over rolling sea swells of about two feet. The high air temperature was 70°F. The tide (current) was moderate. The visibility ranged from ten to fifteen miles in some haze. The sky was mostly clear and sunny. The surface water temperature reached a high of 66°F.
The fishing, catching and landings were very good today. Most legal fish landed today were pollock followed closely by haddock. The haddock cull was not quite two to one, sub-legal to legal haddock, a larger percentage of discards than we have seen this season. Although we have had more short haddock at different times earlier when we didn't expect it. Legal landings also included seven cusk and a few mackerel. Released fish included twenty-three dogfish, a wolffish, fourteen cod over 5 pounds and a few small pollock and cod. Drifting was the method. Most anglers used bait today.
Mike Pullis (ME) was high hook with the most legal fish. I didn't get the count but it was many. His largest fish was a pollock that weighed 8 pounds. Greg Greenell, Sr. (ME) won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, a 12 pound cod. Matt Norris (ME) caught both the second and third largest fish of the trip. They were an 11 pound pollock and an 8.5 pound pollock. Nick Quasnitschka (ME) landed the hard luck award for getting sea sick (I'm not sure if he had company or if he was the sole hurler) and for being the, soon to be, married man!
Captain Ian Keniston and Anthony Palumbo ran the afternoon half day (4 PM to 8 PM) trip. On the fishing grounds, the wind blew out of the south southwest at ten to fifteen knots. Seas were chops of two feet, more or less. The air temperature reached a high of 73°F. The sky was clear and sunny. The tide (current) was moderate. The visibility ranged from five to ten miles in haze. The surface water temperature reached a high of 67°F.
The fishing was very good, the catching was good and landings were fair to good. Legal landings included twelve haddock, three cusk and five whiting. Released fish included one cod of 5 pounds, fourteen short haddock and a few small pollock. I'm not sure if they caught any smaller cod. They anchored. Everyone used bait. Some used cod flies as well.
Adam Therieult (ME) was high hook with the most legal fish. I didn't get the count but it was more than two! Ethan Wasserman (NY) caught the two best fish of the evening, a 2.75 pound whiting and a 3 pound haddock. The haddock tied for the third largest fish of the trip. Leigh Eldredge (ME) won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, a 5 pound cod. The second largest fish was a 3.25 pound haddock caught by Louis Valesquez (MA). Jacob Wasserman (NY) tied with Ethan for the third largest fish, also with a 3 pound haddock. Jack Eardley (ME) was high hurler and landed the hard luck award for his condition.
I received a generous $50.00 donation from Bill Pakenham (MA) for my involvement in the Pan-Mass Challenge, a cycling event devoted to raising money to fight cancer with the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, Massachusetts. Thank you, Bill. Always good to see you both at the restaurant. And I appreciate your support!
Captain Ian Keniston and Captain Micah Tower ran the full day trip today. At 5:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 61°F, the sky was mostly clear, the wind was blowing out of the southwest at ten knots and the visibility over the ocean was very good. The sky stayed sunny all day, a hazy smurry sun brought on by the rise in humidity today, more so than yesterday. The visibility, in turn, was also only good to very good because of the haze. The air temperature rose to a high value, that I saw, of 80°F. It felt warmer than that. The wind blew out of the southwest all morning with wind speeds no more than ten knots. After noon, the wind hauled out of the south and blew up to fifteen knots at times. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 84°F with a low of 62°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 84°F (with a low of 55°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 76°F (with a low of 61°F).
On the fishing grounds, the wind blew out of the southwest at ten knots. Seas were chops of a foot over a two foot sea/swell. The air temperature reached a high of 69°F. The visibility ranged from fifteen to twenty miles in haze. The tide (current) was moderate. The sky was a mix of sun and clouds. The surface water temperature reached a high of 66°F.
The fishing conditions were excellent. The catching was very good. Landings were good. Most legal fish landed were haddock, by far. The haddock cull was 60/40 (percent) favoring the legal sized fish. Legal landings also included seventeen pollock and twelve cusk. Released fish included twenty-eight dogfish, fourteen cod over 5 pounds, a wolffish, quite a few small pollock and a handful of small cod. Drifting was the method. All terminal gear worked well.
Matt Coe (NH) was high hook with the most legal fish. Thirteen year old Brady Martin (ME) won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, a 17 pound pollock. There was no other fish even close. For this reason, Ian took a picture of Brady holding his good sized pollock. This digital image appears on the right. Dave Ferron (MA) caught the second largest fish, a 10 pound cod. The third largest fish was an 8.5 pound pollock caught by Joe Columbus (MA).
Other Angler Highlights: Al White (MA) landed the hard luck award t-shirt, Ian said, because; "Micah said he deserved it." I have no idea why.
Joe Columbus did me a solid, another solid of many solids, by donating yet again to my part in solving the cancer riddle with the Pan-Mass Challenge. His donation today was a generous $50.00. Not looking back in the records, he has to gave donated $150.00 this season by now. If not he is very close to doing so. Thank you so very much, Joe, for your help. Your support is very much appreciated!
Captain Ian Keniston and Anthony Palumbo ran the extreme day trip today. At 5:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 70°F, the sky was mostly clear, the wind was blowing out of the west at ten knots and the visibility over the ocean was very good. Ashore, the humidity wasn't as bad as was predicted. The air temperature rose to 89°F in Perkins Cove, the highest air temperature we have seen for while. But we had a light breeze off the water when it got the warmest so it didn't feel so bad. The wind blew out of the west northwest all morning and into the early afternoon. By 2:00 PM, the wind had hauled out of the southwest. The wind speeds in the morning were up to ten knots. After noon, there was no wind better than five knots. The ocean along the shore was flat calm with wind ripples all day long. The west northwest wind never did reach off more than a half mile in the morning. The sky was hazy sunny all day. The visibility was good to very good in some haze. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 90°F with a low of 73°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 88°F (with a low of 63°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 86°F (with a low of 65°F).
On the fishing grounds, the wind blew out of the southwest at five knots tops. Mostly the wind was less than that. The ocean was calm. The air temperature reached a high of 74°F under the shade top. But it was hot by noon out in the open. The visibility ranged from fifteen to twenty miles in haze. The tide (current) was moderate. The sky was clear and sunny. The surface water temperature reached a high of 67°F.
The fishing conditions were very good, excellent had there not been so many dogfish. And that was the salient feature of the day: the most dogfish we have seen on a trip this season so far. We had Maine's Department of Marine Resources sampling researchers on today. They counted two hundred and fifty-one that were released. Captain Ian deemed this figure conservative and thought the count was closer to three hundred. And, with that many dogfish, it's very hard to get an accurate count. The catching was excellent for most. Landings were very good, one of our better days this August, maybe our best. Most legal fish landed were pollock, by far. Over twice the number of legal haddock landed. And they caught quite a few haddock today. The haddock cull was about 55/45 (percent) favoring the legal fish. Legal landings also included three cusk and two whiting. Released fish, besides the dogfish, included four cod of 5 pounds or better, a barndoor skate, quite a few small pollock and a couple small cod. Drifting was the fishing method employed. All terminal gear worked well.
There was no way Ian could get a value for high hook, the angler with the most legal fish. I know Norm Herrick (MA) caught twenty legal. Another angler had nineteen. But Dan Killay (VT) caught a fish a cast all day long. I'm not sure what percentage of his catch were legal. Needless to say, it was a very busy day for Ian and Anthony! Jay Kennedy (VT) won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, a 19.5 pound barndoor skate. This is our third barndoor skate of the fishing season to date. Ian took a picture of Jay with his great fish just before Jay released it. This digital image appears on the left. The second largest fish weighed 10 pounds. There were two. Both pollock. Matt Wood (NY) caught one, the first fish of the trip to be weighed. Mike Scott, Jr. (NY) caught the other.
Other Angler Highlights: Mike T. Scott (NY) caught a 3.5 pound Maine state trophy whiting. This is the Bunny Clark's sixth largest whiting this season so far. Rick Schwartz (NH) caught a 5 pound Maine state trophy whiting. This is the second largest whiting that has been caught on the Bunny Clark this season so far. It's also the fourth largest whiting that has ever been caught on the Bunny Clark since she was launched in 1983! Scott Shafer (NY) landed the hard luck award for getting a touch of the mal de mer. That can certainly ruin a good fishing trip!
At 5:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 74°F, the sky was clear, the wind was blowing out of the west at five knots and the visibility over the ocean was very good.
We had an easy ride to the fishing grounds. The wind was blowing lightly out of the west. Seas were chops of a half a foot. The sky was clear. The temperature was perfect. The visibility was good.
On the fishing grounds, the wind blew southwest at eight knots to start, climbed to ten or eleven knots, dropped down a bit and then hauled out of the south southwest at about twelve knots. Seas were chops of a foot, more or less. The air temperature reached a high of 74°F (the air temperature reached 95°F in Perkins Cove today). The humidity increased as the day went on but it was comfortable with the wind. The tide (current) was moderate. The sky was hazy clear. The surface water temperature reached a high of 67°F. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 97°F with a low of 75°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 94°F (with a low of 68°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 93°F (with a low of 70°F).
The fishing conditions were very good overall. The current wasn't bad, there were no dogfish, the sea conditions were perfect as was the air temperature and the tangles were few. The catching was very good as were the landings. Most legal fish landed were pollock. There were twice as many legal pollock as there were legal haddock. The haddock cull was two to one, sub-legal fish to legal haddock. Legal landings also included seven cusk and a mackerel. Released fish included five cod of 5 pounds or more, one wolffish that probably weighed 15 pounds, one dogfish, three sub-legal pollock and seven small cod. We drift fished for half the time and anchored a couple of times. All terminal gear worked well but bait caught the most haddock.
I couldn't tell you who was high hook. I know Mike Horwitz had nineteen legal, mostly pollock. But there were two others who might have had more but didn't have a clue as to how many. Mike shared the boat pool for the largest fish with Nick Rello (NJ). Both anglers caught pollock of 18 pounds each. Mike also caught a 13 pound pollock. Those were his two biggest fish. Nick also caught the largest cod of the trip at 11 pounds. And he caught the third largest fish of the trip, a 17 pound pollock.
Other Angler Highlights: Ben Eicher (IN) caught the fourth largest fish of the trip, a 16.5 pound pollock. This is the largest fish he has ever caught in his life. His dory mate, Olen Lengacher (IN), caught the largest haddock the Bunny Clark has seen in a week, at 5 pounds. Scott Wheeler (CT) caught a 13 pound pollock and a 12 pound pollock, his two biggest fish. Bob Dorsch (NH) landed the largest double of the day. His double included a 13 pound pollock and an 8.5 pound pollock. He also caught a pollock that weighed 10.5 pounds. Peter Brodeur (QC), Marty's nephew, landed a 13.5 pound pollock, his biggest fish. Makayla Sanford (NY) after I lent her a fly - she had been complaining about not catching anything -, and after a bit of coaching, landed a 12 pound pollock and a few other smaller ones. I gave the hard luck award t-shirt to Olen Lengacher for a tangle. But the tangle wasn't really that bad. I couldn't think of anyone else to give the shirt to. But I should have asked Miki. He had someone that deserved it more.
I received two donations sponsoring me in this year's Pan-Mass Challenge, a cancer fund raising event that took place the first Saturday in August. The fund raising lasts until the end of December. The anglers and their donations included Bob Dorsch for $30.00 and Miki Alroy, his last day as our deck hand, for $25.00. Thank you both so very much. I appreciate your generosity and support!
At 5:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 79°F, the stars were hazy clear in a cloudless sky, the wind was blowing out of the west at five knots and the visibility over the ocean was good in haze. The salient feature of today's weather was the air temperature that reached 95°F for the second day in a row in Perkins Cove. Offshore, the wind blew out of the south. But in Perkins Cove there was hardly any wind at all. And the wind direction was predominantly from the west. The sun was bright in a hazy sky. The visibility was good, in haze. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 98°F with a low of 81°F). The high air temperature of 98°F in Boston today breaks the high temperature record for this date. The previous record high was 96°F set in 1953, the year my sister, Meg, was born. Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 95°F (with a low of 68°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 89°F (with a low of 71°F).
I spent the day in the restaurant, Barnacle Billy's. It was too hot for me to enjoy the day. The outside was like an oven. Wednesday is a big order day. So I was in the office for quite a while. I ended up leaving at 5:00 PM so I could get ready to take the marathon trip tomorrow. I am really looking forward to it!
At 3:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 80°F, the sky was clear with a partial moon overhead, there wasn't enough wind to write about and the visibility over the ocean was good in haze.
Another easy ride to the fishing grounds was had by all. We carried light westerly winds all the way to our destination. Seas were chops of no more than a foot. The air temperature cooled to the low 70s once we got five miles from the dock. The visibility was very good.
On the fishing grounds, the wind blew lightly out of the southwest and, then, west, all morning. Seas were chops of a foot or less. At exactly noon, the wind hauled out of the north and blew up to ten knots. Seas were chops of a foot or more. As soon as the wind came and blew up, it started dying out. For the rest of the time fishing, the wind was very light out of the north. The ocean became calm. It was a very calm ride home with clear patches and light wind ripple patches. The air temperature reached a high of 74°F. The humidity increased in the morning but dropped again with the wind shift. The tide (current) was moderate. The sky was mostly cloudy with a mix of sun and clouds at times. The surface water temperature reached a high of 69.1°F. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 92°F with a low of 71°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 84°F (with a low of 60°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 83°F (with a low of 59°F).
The fishing conditions were good overall. The environmental/sea/weather conditions were excellent. But, at times, we were plagued by dogfish and blue sharks. We lost a minimum of ten jigs to blue sharks. The figure was probably higher than that. We also lost a few rigs to dogfish. And we lost a few rigs to big fish. The catching was very good. Landings were good to very good. And it was a good day for bigger than normal fish.
Most legal fish landed were pollock in the 5 pound range followed by cusk and white hake. Legal landings also included twenty-seven haddock, seven redfish, a mackerel and a whiting. Released fish included thirty-two cod over 5 pounds, over a hundred dogfish, forty-eight sub-legal haddock, a wolffish and a bluefin tuna. Actually, the tuna released itself by breaking the line! We drift fished and anchored. All terminal gear worked well.
Dan Killay (VT) was high hook with the most legal fish. He also caught the most good sized cod. In fact, all his big fish were cod. Four of the cod of his that I weighed included a 16 pounder, a 17 pounder, a 17.25 pound cod and a 12 pounder. Plus, he released cod over 10 pounds that I didn't weigh. But he had four stops in a row where he caught a pollock a cast.
Second hook had to be John Baker (ME). He was also the story of the day, catching the three largest fish of the trip and winning the boat pools for the largest and second largest fish. His three big fish included a 26 pound Maine state trophy pollock, a 22 pound white hake and a 20 pound white hake. By capturing the three largest fish of the trip, called an "ace", he becomes the first angler this season to do so, a feat in itself. The pollock ties for the Bunny Clark's second largest pollock of the fishing season so far. I took a picture of John holding is 41.5 inch (fork length) pollock. This digital image appears on the left. John also caught a 13 pound cod.
Other Angler Highlights: Steve Selmer (NH) was the angler who lost the tuna. We were anchored at the time. Had we been drifting it would have been an easy thing chase after the fish to see what we could do with it. By the time I got all the anglers up and ready, the tuna had taken so much line that it would have been impossible to get the anchor up in time to chase the fish down. Steve caught the largest cod of the day at 18.5 pounds. He also caught the only wolffish. It weighed 12 pounds. Some of his other good fish included a 15.25 pound white hake, a 12.25 pound Maine state trophy cusk and a twelve pound Maine state trophy cusk.
Mike Kubisiak (NJ) caught a 13 pound white hake, his largest fish. He also caught a 10 pound cusk. His son, Adam Kubisiak (NJ), caught a 13 pound pollock. Joe Jenks (MA) landed the largest double today. His catch included a 17 pound pollock and a 7 pound pollock, both fish caught on the same line at the same time. Some of his other good fish included a 10 pound pollock, a 12.5 pound white hake and a 17 pound pollock. His son, Liam Jenks (MA), landed a 10 pound pollock and a 12 pound pollock, his two biggest fish. Liam caught a lot of legal fish today.
Mark LaRocca (NY) caught the largest cusk of the trip, a 13 pound Maine state trophy. I took a picture of Mark with his nice cusk. This digital image appears on the right. Some of Mark's other good fish included a 17 pound white hake, a 14 pound pollock, a 10 pound cusk, an 18 pound pollock and a 10 pound pollock. In the process, he lost jigs to blue sharks, the bottom, to dogfish and in the process of jigging. He also got spined by a dogfish in the forearm, got bit by a dogfish in the finger and got hooked in the finger with a fly. For this, Mark received the hard luck award t-shirt.
At 5:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 61°F, the sky was clear with a partial moon overhead, the wind was out of the northeast at five knots and the visibility over the ocean was very good, at least. The wind piped up to fifteen knots along the coast by 9:00 AM, causing the scenic tour boats to pack it in for the day. Seas looked to be a couple of feet or more in chops looking at it from the shore. By noon, the wind had dropped to a little more than ten knots. There was no wind by 4:00 PM in Perkins Cove. The sky was clear all day. The visibility was excellent. The highest air temperature that I saw was 71°F at the restaurant. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 73°F with a low of 63°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 75°F (with a low of 54°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 71°F (with a low of 53°F).
It was a long day at the restaurant. Because I was out on the boat all day on Thursday, there was a lot to catch up on today. Plus, on Fridays, I have to open the restaurant and 4:00 AM, let the baker in and take in deliveries, etc, until one of the managers shows up at 9:00 AM. Then I change up and come back down between 11 AM and noon, depending on the boat stuff I have to work on at the house. Today was much the same with more work than normal to catch up on. I left the restaurant at 9:30 PM.
At 5:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 55°F, the sky was cloudy, the wind was out of the northeast at five knots and the visibility over the ocean was excellent. The air temperature was slow to warm this morning. But that was okay. After all this hot, humid weather we have been having, it was refreshing to be able to live in your own clothes. By 1:30 PM, the air temperature had risen to 71°F. I never did look at a thermometer again. The air temperature felt the same for the rest of the day. The wind blew lightly out of the northeast around daylight, hauled out of the east by 10:00 AM and then southeast later in the afternoon. I don't believe the wind ever reached ten knots. The ocean was calm along the shore. The visibility was very good to nearly excellent. The sky was clear in a sometimes hazy sky. Soft lighting was the rule in the afternoon. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 74°F with a low of 63°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 74°F (with a low of 54°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 71°F (with a low of 51°F).
On the fishing grounds, the wind blew out of the east to southeast at five knots. The ocean's surface was calm. The air temperature reached a high of 74°F. The tide (current) was moderate most of the day, stronger right near the end of the trip. The visibility ranged from fifteen to twenty miles in some haze. The sky was a mix of sun and clouds. The surface water temperature reached a high of 67°F.
The fishing conditions were not good. I'm reminded of the phrase; "Still waters run deep." So the weather features and sea state looked perfect. But something with the surface current opposed with the current along the bottom and the large number of dogfish made today's trip a tanglefest for all but the most seasoned anglers. Ian called it; "Possibly the worst tangle day of 2018". Despite it all, the catching was very good and landings were good. Most legal fish landed were pollock, most of which were 5 to 7 pounds. The second most prevalent fish landed was the haddock. There were only twenty-five short haddock released today. Legal landings also included three cusk and one white hake. Released fish included over one hundred and fifty dogfish, fourteen cod over 5 pounds, a few short pollock and a handful, maybe, of short cod. They drift fished and anchored. Anchoring seemed worse for the tangles. Jigs and cod flies caught the most fish, by far.
Brian Murphy (NH) was probably high hook with fourteen good sized fish. I say it this way because Brian counts the cod that would have been keepers three years ago. After all, it's only the U.S. Government who tells us that the cod has to go back. I believe Brian had three good sized (counted) cod. His largest cod, weighing in at 10.5 pounds, was the second largest fish of the trip. Jon Dobbs (NJ) won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, an 11 pound pollock. The third largest fish was a 10 pound cod caught by Jack Wheeler (MA). Had things gone as they should have, according to a few of the anglers, Lauren Delano (MA) would have won the boat pool with a cod in the 15 pound range. Unfortunately, she lost this fish on the surface before it could be brought aboard. For this, she landed the hard luck award t-shirt.
Captain Ian Keniston and Anthony Palumbo ran the afternoon half day (4 PM to 8 PM) trip. On the fishing grounds, the wind blew out of the south at five knots. The ocean's surface was calm. The air temperature reached a high of 70°F. The sky was a mix of sun and clouds. The tide (current) was moderate. The visibility ranged to twenty miles in haze. The surface water temperature reached a high of 68°F.
The fishing conditions were excellent, a welcome change after today's earlier trip. The catching was good. Landings were fair to good. Most legal fish landed were haddock. The haddock cull was 50/50, legal fish to sub-legal fish. Legal landings also included two whiting and nine squirrel hake. Not a single cod or dogfish were caught or seen on this trip. Drifting was the method. Everyone used bait or a combination of bait and cod flies.
Nick Zaldiver (MA) was high hook with the most legal fish. His largest fish was a 2.25 pound haddock, a tie for the third largest fish of the trip. Katelyn Cartwright (MA) won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, a 2.75 pound haddock. The second largest fish was a 2.5 pound haddock caught by nine year old Gavin Curtis (MA). The third largest fish, all haddock of 2.25 pounds, was also shared with Ben French (NH) and Christine Eppelmann (NY). Jeff Buckley (NY) landed the hard luck award for coming all the way from New York City and not catching a single fish, either legal or sub-legal!
At 5:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 60°F, the sky was a perfect mix of clouds and clear spaces, there was no wind to write about and the visibility over the ocean was very good at least. The wind was light out of the west or west southwest in the morning. By noon, the wind had hauled out of the south and was blowing about ten knots. This velocity value increased a little bit but, then, died to almost nothing by sunset and into the night. The highest air temperature reading that I saw was 80°F, a perfect air temperature and an evening that never saw the air temperature go below 70°F. The sky was a mix of sun and clouds but mostly sunny. The visibility was very good. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 84°F with a low of 64°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 84°F (with a low of 55°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 78°F (with a low of 58°F).
On the fishing grounds, the wind blew out of the southwest at five to ten knots. Seas were chops of a foot or less over a rolling sea swell of about two feet. The air temperature reached a high of 71°F under the shade top. The visibility ranged from fifteen to twenty miles in some haze. The tide (current) was moderate. The sky was a mix of sun and clouds. The surface water temperature reached a high of 67°F.
The fishing conditions, weather wise, were excellent. There were a pile of dogfish, however, which, in my mind, drops it down a category. The catching was very good, excellent if you include the dogfish. Landings were good to very good. Most legal fish landed were haddock, by far, followed by pollock. The haddock cull was almost exactly 50/50, sub-legal fish to legal fish. Legal fish landed also included twenty-seven cusk. Released fish included over two hundred dogfish, eighteen cod over 5 pounds, three wolffish, a couple blue sharks and a few small pollock and cod. Drifting was the method. All terminal gear worked well today.
Today's trip was a mix of good fishermen, interested anglers and former heroes of the Bunny Clark. There was plenty of talent on the boat today. Bill Weller (NY) was the fisherman of the day. He was high hook with the most legal fish and he won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, a 28 pound barndoor skate, the Bunny Clark's fourth of the season and the second largest of this species to be caught this season so far. Bill really had no fish of any size except for the skate. The second largest fish was a 22 pound pollock caught by Jeremy Callahan (ME). Craig Meunier (ME) caught the third largest fish, an 19 pound pollock.
Other Angler Highlights: Keith Fifield (VT) caught the first fish to be weighed today, a 13.25 pound cod. Bernie Gage (VT) caught a 10 pound cod and a 13 pound pollock, his two best fish. Brother David Gage (VT) did one better on the pollock with a 14.5 pounder. Bill Socha (NH) landed an 18 pound pollock, his biggest fish today, by far. Sean Devich (NH), my former deck hand and long time regular Bunny Clark angler, caught a 10.5 pound pollock, his largest fish. Hal Flanagan (MA) caught a 13 pound cod, his biggest fish. Ray Meunier (ME) landed the hard luck award for losing two jigs and being involved in the most tangles this trip.
I received three donations sponsoring my ride in the Pan-Mass Challenge today. Those anglers and their donations included Eric Pysar (VT/NY) for $25.00, David Gage for $25.00 and Bernie Gage for $25.00. Thank you all for your help and support. The fund raising doesn't stop until the end of the year and cancer never sleeps. So I appreciate the contributions to the cause!
Captain Ian Keniston and Captain Jared Keniston (yes, Jared is expected to be on the boat most Mondays until the end of this season) ran the extreme day trip today. At 5:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 71°F, the sky was mostly cloudy, the wind was blowing out of the southwest at ten knots and the visibility over the ocean was very good. The wind blew out of the southwest and then west at about ten knots or less ashore. The air temperature rose quickly into the 80s and then low 90s by noon. The highest air temperature that I saw was 93°F in Perkins Cove. It was very humid. The sky was mostly clear all day. The visibility started out very good but became good with some haze by the afternoon. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 96°F with a low of 73°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 94°F (with a low of 67°F). The temperature value of 94°F in Concord breaks the previous record high for this date. The former high temperature record in Concord was 93°F set in three different years including 1929, 1937 and 1973. The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 90°F (with a low of 66°F).
On the fishing grounds, the wind blew out of the southwest at ten to fifteen knots. Seas were two to three feet to start but dropped to an average of two feet after noon. The air temperature reached a high of 74°F. The visibility ranged from ten to fifteen miles in haze. The sky was hazy clear and very sunny all day. The tide (current) was moderate. The surface water temperature reached a high of 68°F.
The fishing conditions were very good. The few dogs and the sea state prevented the conditions from being excellent. The catching was very good. Landings were good to very good. Most legal fish landed were pollock followed by haddock. The haddock cull was about 50/50 favoring the legal sized fish. Legal landings also included fifteen cusk and one white hake. Released fish included forty-eight cod of 5 pounds or better, two barndoor skates and a few small pollock and cod, along with the haddock. Drifting was the method. All terminal gear worked well.
Ian couldn't tell me who was high hook with the most legal fish. There was a tie for the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest size of 27 pounds, both barndoor skates. One was a female, the other a male. Steve Belevre (NHO caught the male. Anthony Arria (MA) caught the female. Collectively, they tie for the third largest, out of the six caught this season, on the Bunny Clark. And, by the way, they were caught miles apart - so Ian didn't disrupt anything important in their lives. Ian took a picture of Steve's fish. This digital image appears on the left. Steve also caught an 11 pound cod.
The next three largest fish were all caught by Joe Columbus (MA), which, he noted, would have counted for an "ace" (the three largest fish of the trip) had no barndoor skates been caught! These three fish included a 12 pound cod, a 12.5 pound cod and a 14.5 pound pollock.
Other Angler Highlights: Jeremy Littlefield (ME) caught an 11 pound cod, his largest fish. Dana Decormier (NH), who might have been high hook had there only been one angler aboard, caught an 11.5 pound pollock, his largest fish. His largest cod weighed 10 pounds. Mark Spaulding (ME) landed the hard luck award for being the high, sole, hurler of the trip. He never did wet a line all day. Ouch! That has got to sting the pride just a little bit!
Joe Columbus did me another big solid today by helping me in my quest for a cancer free world along with the Pan-Mass Challenge, a cancer fund raising event that I am heavily involved in. He did this by donating $40.00 to the cause and sponsoring me in this event for a total, this year, that has to be over $200.00, the total from Joe alone since the first day he went fishing this season. Thank you so very much for your help and support, Joe! Very very much appreciated.
At 3:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 81°F, the sky was partly cloudy, the wind was blowing out of the west at less than five knots and the visibility over the ocean was very good.
The air temperature had cooled down to 78°F by the time I had given the speech and we were ready to leave Perkins Cove for the fishing grounds. After leaving the gate behind I realized that the wind had hauled out of the northwest. But it was blowing just enough that there seemed to be no wind en route. The ocean was fairly calm with a following one foot chop. The visibility was good.
On the fishing grounds, the wind blew out of north after daylight. Wind speeds got up to eight knots, or just enough to turn over a one foot chop, by 10:00 AM. But that wind started dropped as soon as it reached it's apex. By 1:00 PM, the wind had hauled out of the northeast, but only lightly. The ocean was calm for that time all the way until we got back to Perkins Cove. We had a light southeast wind that chased us home. It was hot after noon, the air temperature reaching a high of 84°F in the shade by 2:00 PM.. The humidity seemed to increase all day. The tide (current) was moderate but a little to strong to drift much.. The sky was mostly clear with a few clouds on the fringes of the horizon. The surface water temperature reached a high of 69.5°F. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 87°F with a low of 73°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 89°F (with a low of 64°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 87°F (with a low of 68°F).
The fishing conditions were good overall. In order to qualify this statement I have to say that without the shark problem the conditions would have been excellent. We had problems on two fronts; the dogfish and the blue sharks. We lost quite a few jigs to blue sharks. But dogfish were the most prevalent species for at least two hours. The catching was very good. Landings were good to very good. Most legal fish landed were pollock, by far. Haddock came in second place, one of the best haddock days I have had on the boat since the Ultra Marathon. The haddock cull was about 50/50, barely favoring the sub-legal haddock. Legal landings also included twenty cusk, seven redfish and almost fifty mackerel. Released fish included over one hundred dogfish, 15 cod over 5 pounds, a wolffish, about forty sub-legal pollock, ten blue sharks and a handful of small cod. We anchored, mostly, but drift fished at different places. We seemed to find more blue sharks while drifting. All terminal gear worked well.
I couldn't tell you who, for sure, was high hook with the most legal fish. If I were to guess, I would say it was Larry Reed (ME). He had a fish on all the time he was fishing from dawn to closing time. They weren't all legal. And there were a lot of dogfish. But Larry caught a lot of fish. His largest fish was a 10 pound pollock. Boo Whitten (ME) won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, a 23 pound pollock. Her second largest fish was a 10.5 pound pollock. She boated her big pollock on the next to last stop of the day. I took a picture of Boo with her big pollock. This digital image appears on the right. Jake Johnson (ME) won the boat pool for the second largest fish with the second largest fish, a 20.5 pound pollock. Jake caught his fish early in the morning and led the boat pool for almost the whole trip. The third largest fish was an 18.5 pound pollock caught by Trudy Iams (ME). She caught this fish as part of a double that also included an 8 pound pollock, both fish caught on the same line at the same time.
Other Angler Highlights: Eric Richards (ME) caught the largest cod double I have seen for quite a while. His double included a 15.5 pound cod and an 11 pound cod. He also caught the largest haddock we have seen in two weeks. His haddock weighed 5.5 pounds. His largest pollock weighed 10 pounds. Andy Chicoine (ME) caught a double that included a 14 pound pollock and a 6 pound pollock. Bob Jones (ME) caught a pollock that got hit by a blue shark on the way up. I thought that it could have been a halibut but I had my suspicions from the start. He ended up with two thirds of the fish. The remains weighed 12.5 pounds. Two other good fish of Bob's included an 11 pound pollock and a 14 pound pollock. Jim Iams (ME) landed an 18 pound pollock, his largest fish. He also lost three jigs, mostly to blue sharks. Ryan Richards (ME) caught the only wolffish. It looked to be about 8 or 9 pounds. Jim Morrell (ME) landed a 10.5 pound pollock, his biggest fish. Bryan Lucas (ME) landed the hard luck award for losing three jigs and catching the least number of legal fish!
I received a large donation from the Larry Reed Crew of $138.00 supporting me in my ride with the Pan-Mass Challenge today, a cycling event to raise money for cancer research with the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, Massachusetts. I guess they passed the hat before meeting on the boat this morning. Thank you all so very much for your help and generosity. I appreciate it very much. But those with the disease appreciate it more! All the best until next time!
At 5:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 68°F, the sky was overcast, there was no wind to write about, you could hear the bell buoy plainly (the wind is usually out of the east or northeast when this happens) and the visibility over the ocean was good, at best, in haze. Ashore, the fog rolled in for a short time at 6:00 AM. This may have been the reason the sky was overcast earlier. The sky cleared by 7:30 AM. The visibility at that time was good. The wind blew out of the west all morning up to about ten knots. After noon, the wind hauled more southwest but no more than ten knots. The highest air temperature that I saw in Ogunquit, Perkins Cove, was 85°F. The visibility was good in haze. The sky remained clear and sunny throughout the day. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 92°F with a low of 71°F). The record high temperature for this date in Boston is 93°F which was last set in 1880. Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 91°F (with a low of 60°F). The temperature value of 91°F in Concord ties the previous record high for this date set in 1961 and, before that, in 1953. The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 81°F (with a low of 65°F).
On the fishing grounds, the wind blew out of the southwest at five knots or less in the morning, increasing after noon to ten knots or so. The morning was calm. By afternoon, seas were chops of one to two feet. The air temperature reached a high of 73°F. The visibility ranged from ten to fifteen miles in haze. The tide (current) was moderate. The sky was hazy clear and sunny for the trip. The surface water temperature reached a high of 68°F.
The fishing conditions were good overall, marred by the many dogfish that were caught, less that twice what we caught yesterday with three hours less fishing time, and the blue sharks. The catching was excellent. Landings were very good. Landings would have been excellent without the dogfish and blue sharks, one of our best days of the last two months. Most legal fish landed were pollock, by far. Legal landings also included twenty-five haddock, five redfish, five cusk and a white hake. Released fish included twelve short haddock, one hundred and eighty-five dogfish, two blue sharks that were brought right to the boat, eleven cod of 5 pounds or better and a few short pollock with some small cod. Drift fishing was the fishing method of choice but they did anchor on one spot. Everyone used jigs, jig sticks and flies except one angler.
Ian couldn't tell me who was high hook. There was way too much going on and way too many anglers who are excellent fishermen to separate them by legal fish count. Pat McNamara (NY) won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, a 20.5 pound cod. We haven't seen a cod over 20 pounds since the trip on July 17, 2018. The second largest fish was a 19.5 pound barndoor skate caught by Warren Putnam (NY). This is the seventh barndoor skate that has been caught on the Bunny Clark this season so far. Warren's biggest pollock weighed 12 pounds. The 12 pound mark was the figure set for the third largest fish today. There were two others who also caught 12 pound fish. Those anglers included John Gardner (NY) and Mike Kotash (NY). John's fish was a pollock. Mike's fish was a cod. Mike's biggest pollock weighed 11 pounds.
Other Angler Highlights: Bob Petronio (NY) caught the most good sized fish today. Three. His fish included a 10.5 pound pollock, an 11 pound pollock and another 10.5 pound pollock. Kim Demers (NY) caught a 10 pound cod, the first fish of the trip that Ian weighed. It was Kim's largest fish of the trip. Jeff Bailey (NY) caught an 11 pound pollock, his best fish. Dan Liscum (NY) boated a 10.5 pound pollock, his best. Chuck Stottler (NY) also caught a 10.5 pound pollock as his biggest fish. Bob Petronio may have caught the most fish that had needed a scale. But for every one of those bigger fish he lost a jig, three to be exact. And this got him the hard luck award!
I received a nice donation sponsoring me in this season's Pan-Mass Challenge, a bike ride that took place the first Saturday in August. Cancer never sleeps and I don't stop taking donations either. This donation was a generous $100.00 from Rick & Kathy Henderson (MD). They are regular patrons of Barnacle Billly's or, as I like to say, part of the Barnacle Billy's family. Thank you so very much, Rick & Kathy. I do so appreciate your support!
I had to change the oil in the engine this late afternoon. This kept me from greeting the anglers getting off the boat when the Bunny Clark returned. This was a bit disappointing but Anthony appreciated it as we were done much earlier than expected. Thanks for sailing with us, all you River Rats!
At 5:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 74°F, the sky was clear, the wind was blowing out of the southwest at ten knots or more and the visibility over the ocean was good in haze. It was very humid today, the index over 70. The air temperature rose as they said it would. By noon, it was already 93°F. In fact, I never looked at the thermometer again. It could have gone higher. I don't know. The sky was cloudless all morning but you could see a buildup of clouds on the horizon to the west. These clouds showed up on our doorstep at 2:00 PM and gave us rain, hard a times, with thunder and lightning. There was no hail as was suggested there might be. The rain lasted until 5:00 PM, sometimes light, sometimes hard. The air temperature remained warm throughout. By 6:00 PM, the air temperature had cooled down to a pleasant 75°F. And the humidity index dropped as well. The visibility was good, less so in the rain. The sky remained mostly cloudy into the night. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 97°F with a low of 74°F). The temperature value of 97°F in Boston breaks the previous record high for this date of 94°F set in 1983. Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 92°F (with a low of 67°F). The temperature value of 92°F in Concord breaks the previous record high for this date of 91°F set in 1998. The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 92°F (with a low of 66°F). The temperature value of 92°F in Portland breaks the previous record high for this date of 88°F set in 1983, the first year of fishing with the Bunny Clark.
I spent the day at Barnacle Billy's. But very little time was spent on the floor as I had much desk work to do today. Besides orders and the normal office day to day, I also worked on the new Barnacle Billy's web site. I don't like to be in the office as much as I was but it's what I had to do. Tomorrow will be a bit tough because I have two hours of Barnacle Billy's stuff I have to completed before I step foot on the Bunny Clark tomorrow. It's going to be a long day.
At 5:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 63°F, the sky was clear with just a tiny sliver of a moon, the wind was blowing out of the north northeast at ten knots and the visibility over the ocean was exellent.
When we first left the Cove to head to the fishing grounds, I thought I might need more than a t-shirt. But, after a few miles, the air warmed up enough so that I didn't need anything extra. In fact, it was perfect weather for a t-shirt. We were able to go full cruise into a one to two foot chop with eight to ten knots of northeast wind. The visibility was excellent.
On the fishing grounds, we started off with ten knots of northeast wind and a two foot chop. Some of the seas were left over from a stronger wind earlier in the morning. The northeast wind diminished as the day progressed, as did the seas. When the time came to call the fishing day, the wind had left us and the ocean was flat calm with a left over glassy hubble. The air temperature reached a high of 69°F in the shade. The humidity was gone, thankfully. The tide (current) was moderate but oblique to the wind - which made it a taxing drift. The sky was mostly clear in the morning and mostly overcast in the afternoon. The visibilty ranged to thirty miles. The surface water temperature reached a high of 67.2°F. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 75°F with a low of 66°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 73°F (with a low of 58°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 70°F (with a low of 57°F).
The fishing conditions were good overall. The sideways current was a problem, as were the dogfish and blue sharks during the early drifting. The catching was good overall. Landings were very good on one spot where we caught two thirds of all our legal fish today. The fishing was just a pick everywhere else I went. Most legal fish landed were pollock in the 5 or 6 pound class mixed in with a couple of bigger pollock. Legal landings also included twenty-four haddock, a redfish, four cusk and two squid. Released fish included twenty-four sub-legal haddock, twenty-one dogfish, two blue sharks, one cod of about 6 pounds, nine small cod and a handful of small pollock. We were forced to anchor for almost every stop. When anchored we caught very few dogfish, if any, and no blue sharks. Drifting was nearly impossible between the current, the dogfish and the blue sharks. Cod flies caught the most fish.
Norm Herrick (MA) was high hook with the most legal fish, a total count of fifteen. All were pollock except for one haddock. He was also the fisherman of the day as he won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, a 17.5 pound pollock. I also weighed an 8 pound pollock for him early in the trip. Joe Figliuolo (RI) caught the second largest fish, a 16 pound pollock. The third largest fish was a 13.25 pound pollock caught by Jeff Crawford (DE).
Other Angler Highlights: Brian Luschen (NY) caught a 9 pound pollock, his largest fish. He also caught a 6 pound haddock that measured twenty-seven inches, caliper fork length. This fish would have weighed over 7 pounds in the spring. It also ties for the largest haddock in the last two months. I took a picture of Brian with his haddock. This digital image appears on the left. Diane Stickles (NY) was leading the boat pool most of the morning with a 9.25 pound pollock. She ended up beating her 9 pounder with a 12 pound pollock but not large enough to win the boat pool. Ghislaine Laflamme (QC) landed the hard luck award for tangled lines and getting involved in hooking some old lobster ground tackle. I was going to give her the shirt but she insisted that her husband, Andre, receive it instead! So that's what I did!
Norm Herrick donated $90.00 to help with my cancer fund raising with the Pan-Mass Challenge today. Norm, and his wife LuAnne, have donated much money through me for the PMC over the years. Thank you very much, Norm. I very much appreciate the support.
At 5:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 62°F, the sky was mostly overcast, the wind was blowing out of the north at ten knots and the visibility over the ocean was excellent. Ashore, the sky remained mostly overcast all day. The clouds were thin and, at times, the sun would shine through a hazy patch, giving soft lighting. The air temperature never got out of the 60s, to my knowledge. The highest air temperature that I saw in Perkins Cove was 67°F. The wind blew out of the north at ten knots, dropping in velocity and coming out of the northeast late and light. There was no wind in Perkins Cove after noon, to speak about. The visibility was very good, at least. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 71°F with a low of 59°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 67°F (with a low of 48°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 67°F (with a low of 52°F).
On the fishing grounds, the wind blew out of the north at ten to twenty knots with seas in chops of three to four feet. Winds diminished over time and hauled more easterly after noon. Northeast wind speeds were about ten knots with two to three foot chops at 1:00 PM. The air temperature reached a high of 67°F. The visibility ranged from fifteen to twenty miles in haze. The sky was overcast for the trip. The tide ranged from moderate to strong. The surface water temperature reached a high of 65°F.
The fishing conditions were good at best. The sea state, the dogfish and the tide dropped the conditions to the lower category. The catching was very good to excellent (if you include the dogfish). Landings were very good. Most legal fish landed were pollock, by far. Legal landings also included eight haddock, a redfish and a cusk. Released fish included three cod of 5 pounds or better, four short haddock, one hundred & twenty-five dogfish and a couple of short pollock. They anchored for every stop. All terminal gear worked well but cod flies worked the best.
Nick Sacendola (NH) was the fisherman of the day. He was high hook with the most legal fish and he won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, a 15 pound pollock. The second largest fish was 11 pounds. There were two. Both pollock. Brandon Ano (NY) caught one. Kevin Vieo (NH) caught the other. Kevin also caught the largest cod of the day at 10.5 pounds.
Other Angler Highlights: Barry Ano (NY) caught the first fish that could be weighed, a 9 pound pollock. Noah Buffum (VT) landed a pollock that weighed 8.5 pounds. Walter Stevens (ME) landed the hard luck award for getting a touch of the mal de mer.
I received two donations today sponsoring me in my cancer cycling event, the Pan-Mass Challenge. Kevin Vieo (NH) donated $40.00 while Kathy Hessefort Roy (NH) donated $25.00 through the PMC site in the form of a "egift". John Hessefort, Kathy's former husband, used to enjoy fishing on the Bunny Clark almost as much as I enjoyed having him on the boat. He was a good fisherman. But he was taken too early by the disease I am trying to fight in this fund raiser. Thank you, Kathy, for always thinking of me and what I do. And thank you, Kevin, for your generosity. Much appreciated!
At 5:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 54°F, the sky was mostly overcast with clear patches or maybe just thinner cloud cover (I couldn't tell in the dark), the wind was blowing out of the northeast at fifteen knots and the visibility over the ocean was excellent. The day went back and forth with the cloud cover. We have very sunny periods, particularly in the morning, and overcast conditions. The clouds never got thick enough to make me think it was going to rain. But it did make me glance at the weather radar for confirmation. The wind peaked at seventeen knots at the closest weather buoy by mid morning, ten knots ashore. The wind dropped after that and hauled out of the southeast at eight knots or so. Seas never got to the three foot mark according to our closest buoy but got as high as 4.3 feet at the Jeffrey's Ledge buoy. The visibility was excellent throughout the day. The air temperature got up as high as 61°F in Perkins Cove. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 65°F with a low of 57°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 63°F (with a low of 43°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 63°F (with a low of 46°F).
I spent most of the morning riding with the Maine Coast Cycling Club after working at the restaurant early to get order sheets printed. After noon, I worked on orders for Monday delivery. Sunday is a huge order day. But orders are much lighter this time of year than they are during the summer. I worked until 6:00 PM. After that, Deb and I came down to Barnacle Billy's and had lobsters for dinner. I retired early.
At 5:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 52°F, the sky was mostly cloudy with some clear pieces, the wind was blowing out of the northeast at ten knots and the visibility over the ocean was excellent. The wind blew out of the northeast at ten to fifteen knots for the first part of the morning. After 10 AM, the wind hauled out of the east and then east southeast before noon. Wind speeds were sustained eighteen knots with gusts over twenty knots. Seas were white beards looking into the teeth of it from the parking lot. The air temperature in Perkins Cove reached 65°F. It did not seem as cold as I thought it would be after this mornings air temperatures. The sky was cloud covered but thin enough to see the sun for most of the morning. There was never a patch of blue for the sun to shine through. It was always through the clouds. By 3:00 PM, the sky was overcast. At 4:00 PM, it started to rain. Rain was light and very periodic. It became more steady later in the evening. I was told this was the remnants of Hurricane Gordon that struck the Gulf of Mexico and went ashore. The visibility excellent in the morning, went to fair to good in the evening with the precipitation. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 68°F with a low of 62°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 64°F (with a low of 47°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 63°F (with a low of 46°F).
I received a generous $100.00 donation sponsoring my cancer fund raising ride (cycling) with the Pan-Mass Challenge today. The donor was Joe Weaver (NY), one of my "older" regular anglers. Joe hasn't been out with me for a while. And he had no luck this year either, being blown out two days this week. Before he left he gave me this check. Thank you very much, Joe. I'm sorry I wasn't able to take you fishing. But it was good to see you just the same. I'm going to miss the abuse I was expecting to get from you!
At 5:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 63°F, the sky was overcast, it was pouring rain, the wind was blowing out of the east at twenty knots, the wave height on Jeffrey's Ledge was 8.2 feet every eight seconds and the visibility over the ocean was fair in heavy precipitation, haze and, possibly, fog. By 7:30 or 8:00 AM, the heavy rain had stopped. It was misting with occasional light rain until around 10:30 AM. We didn't see another drop of rain for the rest of the day. The sky was overcast for most of the morning with peeks at the sun before noon. This kept up through the afternoon when, after 3:00 PM, the sky became mostly sunny. The wind was diminishing all morning after 5:00 AM. By 7:00 AM, the northeast wind was about fifteen knots with higher gusts. By 9:00 AM, there was hardly ten knots. The rest of the day gave us light and variable winds and big seas. Seas were still around eight feet every eight seconds at 10:00 AM. By sunset, seas had dropped to six feet, not as much as I would have thought with the lack of wind. The highest air temperature that I saw in Perkins Cove was 75°F. It felt warmer as it was very muggy and humid. For instance, I thought the air temperature had climbed to a value over 80°F before I looked at the thermometer. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 75°F with a low of 65°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 74°F (with a low of 58°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 74°F (with a low of 57°F).
Today was a make-up day or catch-up day at Barnacle Billy's restaurant. I'm usually on the boat on Tuesdays. Since I was ashore, I finished up many projects that, otherwise, would have been on hold for a few more days. So I was primarily in the office today and on the phone a lot. I called it quits at 7:30 PM and went home for dinner.
On this day in 2001, I was running the Bunny Clark. It was also a Tuesday. I was offshore on a marathon trip. While anchored on a spot catching pollock, one of our anglers hooked into a bluefin tuna of about 250 to 300 pounds. We got off the anchor and fought that fish for three hours, losing it right next to the boat. Our anglers were a charter from New York. Some were firemen. While fighting the fish we had strayed a few miles from the initial spot. We were just coming back to the edge where we had anchored, tail between our legs, when my analog cell phone started ringing. It was my father at Barnacle Billy's restaurant. He told me that a big passenger plane had just crashed into the World Trade Center in New York City. I rarely was able to get a signal out there that far so I was surprised to hear it ring and to actually have a conversation. My father also told me that a plane had crashed into the Pentagon. With that last bit of knowledge, the phone went dead. I tried calling back but could not get a signal. I had a radio frequency scanner on the boat at that time for FM channels including cell phone frequencies and radio station frequencies. So I tuned it to the frequency of one of the National Public Radio frequencies to listen to the news. It was a somber moment. I'll never forget the feeling.
I received a very generous $500.00 donation from Connie Griffin (ME) sponsoring me in the Pan-Mass Challenge, a cycling event to raise money to fight cancer (with the Jimmy Fund). The ride took place the weekend of August 4th but the fund raising continues throughout the year and cancer never sleeps. Thank you so very much, Connie, for such wonderful support and generosity. I do very much appreciate this.
At 5:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 66°F, the sky was overcast, it was raining, there was no wind to write about and the visibility over the ocean was fair precipitation, haze and fog. Ashore, it rained lightly, on and off, throughout the morning and for some of the afternoon. Basically, the afternoon was dry. And we had a period of sun. But the sky became overcast after 4:00 PM and remained so into the night. The air temperature was warm with a high of 68°F in Perkins Cove that I noticed. But the humidity made it seem warmer. The wind blew lightly out of the northeast for a while but was very light with a calm ocean along the shore with a left over sea swell making it appear as if there were wind off shore. The visibility was good to very good. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 70°F with a low of 66°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 68°F (with a low of 66°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 70°F (with a low of 66°F).
On the fishing grounds, the wind blew out of the northeast at eight to twelve knots in the morning with a two foot chops over three to four foot short swells. After noon, the wind blew out of the northeast at ten to five knots or less. The chops dropped to two and, then, one foot in chops over a two to three foot rolling seas swell. The ocean was glassy for most of the ride home. The air temperature rose to a high of 68°F. The tide (current) was strong most of the day. The visibility ranged to fifteen or twenty miles in some haze. The sky was overcast. Ian didn't mention any rain. And, looking at the radar, they could have been just outside of the rain. The surface water temperature reached a high of 63°F.
The fishing conditions was good. It could have been better had the current been less, had the dogfish not been around and the seas a little less in the morning. The catching was very good for fish in general. Landings were good. Most legal fish landed were pollock, by far. Legal landings also included twenty-six haddock, eight cusk and three mackerel. Released fish included twelve cod over 5 pounds, twelve short haddock, ninety-one dogfish and a couple small cod. They drift fished and anchored. All terminal gear worked well but cod flies caught the most fish.
I didn't ask who was high hook. But if Jeff Corey (MA) wasn't high hook, I can't imagine who was. To me, he was the fisherman of the day. He looked for all the world to be high hook with the fillets he walked off with and he won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, a 19 pound pollock. He caught the 19 pound pollock as part of a double that also included an 11 pound pollock, both fish caught on the same line at the same time. This is the Bunny Clark's fourth largest double of the fishing season to date. Jeff also caught the third largest fish, a 14.5 pound pollock. Some of his other fish included an 11 pound pollock and the largest cod of the day at 14 pounds.
John Teehan (MA) caught the second largest fish, a 16.5 pound pollock. John also caught a 10 pound pollock and a 14 pound pollock.
Other Angler Highlights: Anthony Kilmer (TN) landed a 12 pound pollock, his largest fish. Duane Kilmer (TN) took the other tack and landed the hard luck award for being the high hurler of the day. In fact, he stayed down below all day to the point that Ian that he had a stowaway!
I had two anonymous donors give $25.00 each to sponsor me in this season's Pan-Mass Challenge today. Thank you, whoever you are, for your help and support. I appreciate it very much. But there are others who appreciate it so much more. All the best!
At 3:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 65°F, the sky was overcast, there was some humidity (making it feel a bit warmer than the air temperature), there was no wind to write about and the visibility over the ocean was very good.
We had no problem leaving Perkins Cove behind us this morning. In the back of my mind I thought we might have big swells to add to the confusion in the outer cove. But, aside from patches of sea foam on the water, there was really no evidence of large offshore swells. Five miles from the Cove it was a different story with three to five foot rolling seas. These swells got larger the further we got out. But we had good visibility the whole way, very little wind and the surface of the ocean was calm.
On the fishing grounds, we had sea swells of six to eleven feet. Long rolling things that only showed up on the sounding machine while anchored. The wind was light from the northeast, glassy calm over the swells after that and light northwest/glassy in the later afternoon and the ride home. The air temperature reached a high of 71°F in the shade. There was a bit of humidity. The tide (current) ran like a river all day, very strong. This was the strongest current I have seen all year. The sky was a mix of sun and clouds. In the morning, the sky was mostly overcast. We could see rain showers coming out of the clouds to the westward of us for most of the morning. Later morning we saw the sun, the afternoon started with overcast skies that gave way to a mostly sunny ride home. The visibility ranged to over twenty-five miles. The surface water temperature reached a high of 68.5°F. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 71°F with a low of 65°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 77°F (with a low of 61°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 75°F (with a low of 59°F).
The fishing conditions were good overall. The current was a killer, creating tangles galore. The fishing conditions could have been almost perfect as we had very few dogfish and only a handful of blue sharks plaguing us. The catching was very good to excellent. Landings were very good overall. There was someone with a fish on the line all the time. Most legal fish landed were pollock, by far. But we also had the most haddock I have seen on a trip where I was the captain since mid July. The haddock cull was four to one, legal haddock to sub-legal haddock. Legal fish landed also included twenty-six redfish, ten cusk, two loligo squid and one white hake. Released fish included three dogfish, seven or eight blue sharks, forty-two cod between 5 and 22 pounds, eighteen barely sub-legal pollock and a handful of small cod. We tried drifting at first but it was just too strong to hold bottom. So we spent the day anchoring on every spot until late afternoon, when we tried the drift again and were successful That last drift only lasted a half hour as we had to get going back. All terminal gear worked equally well.
I couldn't tell you who was high hook but it had to be either Jonathan "Griff" Griffin (MA) or Ray Westermann (MA). Griff won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, a 22 pound cod. I took a picture of Griff holding this nice cod with my iPhone just before he released it. This digital image appears on the left. Griff also caught the third largest fish, a 20 pound cod. His largest pollock weighed 15 pounds. Ray had a 15 pound cod as his biggest fish. But he also had probably the most haddock. Ny Nhath (MA) won the boat pool for the second largest fish with the second largest fish, a 21.5 pound cod. Ny's largest pollock weighed 12 pounds. If I were a betting man, I would have bet that Ny was third hook right behind Ray and Griff.
Other Angler Highlights: Rich Gargan (NY) fished in the bow and had a cod that, at the time, might have been a pool contender. The fish looked to be around 14 pounds, more or less. He might have broken his line trying to get the fish aboard or it might have gotten off the hook at the surface. I was involved with another angler at the time. But it didn't matter in the long run as, an hour later, Griff caught the big one and we had already had a larger fish than 14 pounds already. Jim Jarvis (MA) caught the only white hake. It weighed 13 pounds. Ray Thomas (MA) caught an 18 pound cod and a 14 pound cod, his two biggest fish. Mark Randis (PA) caught one of the first bigger cod of the day today. It weighed 10.75 pounds. He might have caught a pollock of about the same size. Dan Nye (MA) caught a 10 pound cod, a 10 pound pollock and another cod of 10 pounds today. Dan was one of the higher hooks of the day as well. Ben Austin (VT) caught a 15.5 pound cod, his largest fish. Bill Otto (PA) caught a 16 pound cod, his largest fish. His largest pollock weighed 11 pounds. Craig Belongie (MA) caught an 11 pound cod and a 10.5 pound pollock, his two largest fish, unless he caught a bigger cod that he didn't tell me about. He very well could have. He takes care of himself. Eric Rustin (MA) caught an 11.5 pound pollock, his largest fish. Bill Murphy (MA) caught a 14.5 pound cod, his largest fish. He also released two blue sharks with his jigs in their mouths. Mike "Stump" Stump (MA) landed the hard luck award for getting the worst backlash/over-wrap in a reel that I have seen this summer or, maybe, the last few summers! On the bright side, his largest cod weighed 17 pounds and his largest pollock weighed 14 pounds, two nice fish!
Rich donated $20.00 to sponsor me in my cancer fund raising quest with the Pan-Mass Challenge today. It was a particularly thoughtful move as I forgot to mention this project in the morning's speech. Consequently, he was the only donor today as well (Sorry, Dana-Farber!). Thanks so much, Rich. Very kind of you. Always a great pleasure to have you aboard. Both, very much appreciated!
At 5:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 61°F, the sky was overcast, there was no wind to write about and the visibility over the ocean was very good. The visibility didn't last. A half hour later the fog rolled in and never left us the whole day and all night. It was the foggiest day of the year today. There was no wind all day. No one got a chance to see the ocean along the shore at any time today unless you were standing at the water's edge. There were times in the morning where you couldn't see the footbridge over Perkins Cove from the deck of Barnacle Billy's. The air remained calm all day with no wind to write about. The sky appeared overcast throughout the day. Around 6:00 PM, we got a glimpse of the sun above the trees to the west. But this glimpse was thought a lighter layer of fog. Actually, four miles inland, the sky was clear with a bright sun. It was only along the shore that the fog was present. The high air temperature that I observed in Perkins Cove was 75°F. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 75°F with a low of 65°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 79°F (with a low of 60°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 77°F (with a low of 57°F).
On the fishing grounds, the wind blew lightly out of the north (northeast?) in the morning but became nothing but variable during the later morning and afternoon. The ocean was calm all day. The air temperature reached a high of 69°F. The visibility was poor in black thick fog to an eighth of a mile. The tide (current) was moderate to strong. The sky was overcast or seemed so in the fog. The surface water temperature reached a high of 64°F.
The fishing conditions were good. We seem to be stuck in this category daily for various reasons. Today's reasons: even though the tide had backed off from the last couple of days, the dogfish were thick as fleas on wild dog's back. So tangles were still up there in count, although not as bad as they could have been with an inexperienced crew. The catching was excellent. Landings were very good, despite. Most legal fish landed were pollock, by far. Legal landings also included twenty-nine haddock, five cusk, one white hake and a monkfish. Released fish included a barndoor skate, three cod of 5 pounds or more, a handful of small cod and pollock and over two hundred dogfish. They drift fished for the trip. The tide was too strong to anchor. There was just enough wind to temper the drift so that the lines hung better. All terminal gear worked well but cod flies worked the best.
I would suspect that Ray Westermann (MA) and Jonathan "Griff" Griffin (MA) were high hook yet again. But I don't know this for sure. Ian didn't volunteer that information. They have a system working together. And it works. Griff won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, a 23 pound barndoor skate. Captain Ian took a picture of Griff with his fish. This digital image appears on the right. The second largest fish was a 20 pound pollock caught by Gabe Pearson (ME). Gabe also caught pollock of 10 pounds and one that weighed 12 pounds. Lane Winney (NH) caught the third largest fish, a 17 pound pollock.
Other Angler Highlights: Jake Tessles (MA) caught the only white hake at 12 pounds. Donna Borges (MA) caught a 10.5 pound pollock, her largest fish. Tony Amaral (MA) landed an 11 pound pollock. Kevin Kozlowski (CO) boated a pollock that weighed 10.5 pounds. Peter Griffin (NY) caught the only monkfish. It weighed 4 pounds. Brian Hagedorn (NY) caught an 11 pound pollock, his largest. John Fairbanks (VT) landed the hard luck award for losing three jigs.
At 5:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 59°F, the sky was overcast (the sky had been fairly clear with stars an hour earlier), the wind was blowing out of the southwest at eight knots and the visibility over the ocean was poor in fog. Ashore, the fog hung around for the first half of the daylight morning but cleared up along the shore for the last two hours. The sky stayed overcast with very little wind. The ocean was flat calm along the shore. At 4:00 PM, the sky cleared and the sun showed. There were very few clouds after that. The fog backed off well out to sea so that you could see six miles out. Objects were hazy at six miles. The air temperature reached a high of 73°F. But it felt warmer than that because the dew point was so high. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 73°F with a low of 63°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 80°F (with a low of 61°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 75°F (with a low of 54°F).
On the fishing grounds, the fog was black thick in the early going. But the visibility improved to almost a quarter of a mile later in the trip. They carried the fog all the way home until about the six mile mark. The wind blew out of the west at barely a knot. There was no wind after noon. The ocean's surface was glassy calm over long rolling sea swells of three to four feet. The air temperature reached a high of 64°F in the shade. The tide (current) was moderate. The sky was overcast. The surface water temperature reached a high of 63°F.
The fishing conditions were good to very good. The tide was fine, the weather was fine but there were still quite a few dogfish which knocked the fishing down a category. The catching was very good. Landings were good. Most legal fish landed were pollock, by far. Legal landings also included sixteen haddock, two redfish and six cusk. Released fish included one hundred and fifty-two dogfish, one cod over 5 pounds, four short haddock and a handful of small cod and pollock. They anchored and drift fished. Cod flies caught the most fish.
I didn't inquire who was high hook. And that information was not volunteered. Pam Nelson (MA) won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, a 21 pound pollock. Ian took a picture of Pam holding her prize. This digital image appears on the left. Pam and her husband, Don, had their honeymoon on the Bunny Clark. I believe it was thirty-four years ago. I was the only captain in those days. The second largest fish was a 17.5 pound pollock caught by Matthew Lewandowski (NH). He caught this fish as part of a double that also included an 11 pound pollock. This is the seventh largest double of the Bunny Clark fishing season to date. Laurie Plante (ME) caught the third largest fish, a 15.5 pound pollock.
Other Angler Highlights: Roland Cote (ME) caught an 11.5 pound pollock. Rachel Molleur (ME) landed a pollock of 9 pounds. Matt Brodka (NY) boated an 11 pound pollock. Mark Fournier (VT) caught a 13.5 pound pollock. Logan Springer (NY) landed the hard luck award for not catching a single legal fish!
At 5:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 63°F, the stars were bright in a crystal clear sky, there was no wind to write about and the visibility over the ocean was very good. Ashore, we had no fog today. The air temperature was warm, reaching 70°F by mid morning and a high of 81°F in Perkins Cove. It was also hazy with Tim's "real feel" temperature of about 87°F. Just as it seemed to be getting too warm, the air temperature and humidity seemed to drop a bit at 4:00 PM. It was a very pleasant evening in low to mid 70s. The sky was clear all day. The visibility was good. There was no wind all morning, light from the south in the afternoon. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 81°F with a low of 63°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 87°F (with a low of 61°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 84°F (with a low of 59°F).
On the fishing grounds, there was no wind in the morning. The ocean's surface was flat calm. After noon, the wind blew lightly out of the south. That ocean, too, was calm. Underneath the ocean's surface there were long rolling sea swells of two to three feet. The air temperature reached a high of 74°F. The visibility ranged from ten to fifteen miles in haze. The tide (current) was moderate. The sky was hazy clear and sunny. The surface water temperature reached a high of 65°F.
The fishing conditions were good to very good. The weather couldn't have been better. This alone pushed the conditions up to very good. The dogfish numbers kept the conditions down in the good category. Catching was excellent. Landings were very good. Most legal fish landed were haddock, by far. Today was the last day of haddock fishing so Ian wanted to please those who were aboard to catch them - which was everyone. The haddock cull was 60/40, favoring the legal fish. Legal landings also included a good number of pollock, forty-three cusk and one white hake. Released fish included twenty-eight cod over 5 pounds, over two hundred dogfish, two wolffish, a number of small pollock and a handful of small cod. Drifting was the method. Bait worked best for haddock. Otherwise, all terminal gear worked well today.
Bill Harding (ME) was high hook with the most legal fish including a pile of haddock. His largest fish was an 11.5 pound cod, the fourth largest fish of the trip. Mario Zach (NJ) won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, a 15 pound wolffish. This is a tie for the tenth largest wolffish caught on the Bunny Clark this season. The second largest fish was a 14 pound wolffish caught by Jim Smith (NY). He also caught a 10 pound cod, the first fish to be weighed for the boat pool today. Robert Wilimczyk (NJ) caught the third largest fish, a 12 pound cod.
Other Angler Highlights: Matt Brodka (NY) caught an 11.5 pound cod to tie with Bill for the fourth largest fish of the trip. "Haddock Jack" Brouse (NH) landed the hard luck award for most tangled lines.
I received a very generous $500.00 donation supporting my fund raising efforts with the Pan-Mass Challenge today. The donor is Betsy McLaughlin (NY) who has already donated $500.00 previously, this year and has helped me every year since I started riding in the PMC! Thank you so very much, Betsy. I am humbled and honored and so appreciate your sponsorship!
Captain Ian Keniston and Captain Jared Keniston ran the extreme day trip today. At 5:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 65°F, the sky was clear, if there was wind it was out of the southwest and the visibility over the ocean was fair, at best, in off coastal fog. It only took a couple hours of daylight to rid the coast of the fog this morning. We were left with good visibility in haze. The air temperature rose more than it did yesterday, to a value of 86°F in Perkins Cove. It was also humid. The sky was hazy clear with very few clouds and a hot sun. It was really a little too warm today. But knowing what is waiting for us in a couple of months, we took it with a smile. There was very little wind in the morning. By noon, the wind was out of the west southwest. At 2:00 PM, we saw ten to fifteen knots. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 85°F with a low of 67°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 86°F (with a low of 61°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 82°F (with a low of 63°F).
On the fishing grounds, the wind blew out of the southwest at ten to fifteen knots. Seas were chops of two to three feet. The air temperature reached a comfortable value of 68°F at it's highest in the shade. The tide (current) was moderate. The visibility was good. The sky was sunny in the morning and overcast in the afternoon. The surface water temperature reached a high of 65°F.
The fishing conditions were very good, the catching was very good as were the landings. Most legal fish landed were pollock, by far. Legal landings also included two redfish and two cusk. Released fish included thirty haddock (half were under 17 inches), forty-five dogfish, twenty-four cod and a few small pollock and cod. Drifting was the method. All terminal gear worked well but jigs and cod flies worked best for the pollock.
Dimitar Pavlov (ME) was the fisherman of the day. He was high hook with the most legal fish, without question. And he won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, a 28 pound, really good looking, cod. The cod is the Bunny Clark's largest this season, so far, by a half pound! Ian took a picture of Dimitar holding his big cod just before releasing it back to the ocean alive. This digital image appears on the right. Dimitar also landed the second largest fish, a 17 pound pollock. The third largest fish was a 13 pound pollock caught by Conor Donoghue (ME).
Other Angler Highlights: Dan Bailey (NY) caught a 10.5 pound pollock, a 12 pound pollock and a 10 pound cod, his three largest fish. Ray LaClaire (MA) caught a 12 pound pollock, his biggest fish. Seth Greenwood (NY) landed an 11.5 pound pollock. Todd Mallory (NY) caught an 11 pound pollock. Todd's largest cod also weighed 11 pounds. Gary Bailey (WA) caught an 11 pound cod, his largest fish. Mike Norlund (MA) landed the hard luck award today. I was never given a reason why.
At 5:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 69°F, the sky was overcast, it was raining lightly, the wind was blowing out of the southwest at ten knots (much more offshore) and the visibility over the ocean was fair to good in haze and precipitation. At 5:30 AM, it started to rain harder. The rain continued throughout the morning. At times it poured down but, at other times, it was just steady rain. By 11:00 AM, the rain was tapering off. By noon, we had drizzle but the rain was essentially done for the day. We had signs of clearing by 2:00 PM, with the occasional peek at the sun. By 4:00 PM, the sky was clear and sunny. The wind blew out of the southwest in the morning with wind speeds up to fifteen knots or better offshore. This wind backed off everywhere by 10:00 AM. For the rest of the day there was hardly any wind. By 4:00 PM in Perkins Cove, there was no wind, the sun was out, the air temperature was 76°F and the ocean along the shore was glassy calm. Seventy-six degrees was the highest air temperature that I saw all day. It was also humid, a bit humid, which made it seem warmer. So, three afternoons in a row that were summer-like and very pleasant. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 77°F with a low of 69°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 83°F (with a low of 65°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 77°F (with a low of 63°F).
After a bike ride in the pouring rain for and hour and a half, I spent the rest of the day at Barnacle Billy's restaurant. Business wise, it was very slow. But it allowed me to get some things done that I wouldn't have been able to do otherwise. Of course, normally, I'm on the boat on this day. So I finished many things I wouldn't have been able to start had I been on the boat. I worked straight through until 6:00 PM and then retired for the evening.
At 5:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 61°F, the sky was overcast, the wind was blowing out of the north northeast at fifteen knots (at least) and the visibility over the ocean was good in, what seems like, haze. When the sun rose, we had plenty of visibility. It was very good. The sky remained overcast all morning and most of the afternoon. We saw some sun but not often. The sky was mostly overcast. The wind blew out of the northeast at fifteen knots with higher gusts but diminished to about five knots by sunset. The high air temperature in Perkins Cove was 67°F. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 71°F with a low of 62°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 68°F (with a low of 59°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 65°F (with a low of 57°F).
The only extra thing I did today, besides working at Barnacle Billy's restaurant, was riding my bike about seventy-two miles in the morning. I was back a work by noon. I worked until 5:00 PM. After that I spent the rest of the night getting ready to go fishing, eating dinner and doing some desk work.
At 3:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 59°F, the sky was overcast, it was spitting rain, the wind was blowing out of the northeast at fifteen knots and the visibility over the ocean was good. The wind had been blowing out of the northeast at twenty knots at 1:00 AM.
Before the Bunny Clark left the dock this morning, we had a misty, wet, light rain. This persisted until we headed to sea.
There was a fairly large sea/swell to greet in the outer cove after our ride down the channel out of Perkins Cove. We had no problem negotiating any part of it but you knew it had been blowing fairly hard off shore. The ride to the fishing grounds was much slower than normal. At the five mile mark the seas were larger than they were along the shore. And, due to our course, we were only able to cruise at ten knots. It wasn't comfortable but it wasn't bad. The visibility was very good the whole way.
On the fishing grounds, we had sea swells of six to eight feet under a chop of two to three feet. Both seas and chops were coming out of the northeast. The wind was out of the northeast all day. At the start, we had fifteen knots with higher gusts. This wind diminished slowly during the day. The chops diminished as well with only a one foot chop when I called the day. The swells remained the same height but got further apart as the day progressed. There was very little wind for the ride back home. The air temperature reached a high of 65°F in the shade. It was the first trip where I had to wear more than just a t-shirt. The tide (current) was moderate but running north to south at an oblique angle to the boat on anchor. This created a few more tangles than normal. The sky was overcast all morning and part of the early afternoon. We had fleeting glimpses of the sun in the later afternoon. Patches of blue sky were very scarce today.The visibility ranged to over twenty-five miles. The surface water temperature reached a high of 63°F. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 66°F with a low of 60°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 66°F (with a low of 57°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 62°F (with a low of 52°F).
The fishing conditions were good. In order to qualify that statement I have to tell you that we couldn't drift for being attacked by blue sharks. Between drifting attacks and attacks in general, we lost fifteen jigs. It could have been worse had we drift fished all day. Also, the current was a little tough to deal with. And the seas were large enough to disturb the jigs; it was hard to keep the jigs off the bottom. Catching and landings were very good in the morning, okay in the afternoon. Most legal fish landed were pollock, by far. Legal landings also included two cusk and sixteen redfish. We caught nary a single dogfish today, none. Released fish included twelve cod of 5 pounds or better, four small cod, fifteen haddock from a pound to 3 pounds, two sub-legal pollock, nine sub-legal redfish and a barndoor skate. We lost, probably, ten big fish. This probably due to the seas. We anchored for almost every stop. Only jigs and cod flies were used.
I couldn't tell you who was high hook.When the fish were biting everyone was catching them equally. When they weren't biting, no one was catching. We did have spells when no one was catching. Corey Russell (MA) won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, an 18.5 pound pollock. He also caught a 14 pound pollock. John Baker (ME) won the boat pool for the second largest fish with the second largest fish, an 18 pound pollock. John also caught a 13.5 pound cod. The third largest fish was a 17 pound barndoor skate caught by Roger Aldridge (NY). Roger also caught two pollock of 12 pounds each.
Other Angler Highlights: Rory Casey (VT) caught the largest cod at 15.25 pounds. He also caught the most redfish. His two largest pollock weighed 15 pounds and 12.5 pounds. Don Hawley (MA) caught a 13 pound cod, his largest fish. Jeff Thayer (MA) caught a 12 pound pollock, his largest fish. He also landed the hard luck award for being the sole hurler of the day, losing three jigs and having his share of tangles. It should be noted that his malady never once slowed him down in the fishing department. Only a couple short breaks to hurl over the side is the only thing that I saw to indicate that he was sea sick!
At 5:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 58°F, the sky was overcast, the wind was very light out of the south and the visibility over the ocean was good to very good. The sky stayed overcast for, really, most of the day. If we did see the sun, it was only briefly. The wind blew out of the south at a sustained twenty knots out of the south. This stronger southerly wind kept up long into the night. The air temperature was cool during the day with a high value of 63°F. However, the southerly wind must have brought some warm air with it because, at 9:00 PM, the air temperature had risen to 66°F. It might have noticed a higher value had I been paying attention. The visibility was good all day. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 73°F with a low of 61°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 70°F (with a low of 57°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 66°F (with a low of 53°F).
On the fishing grounds, the wind blew out of the south at ten knots to start. Seas were chops of two feet. But this wind increased as the fishing day progressed. And it wasn't long until seas were three and four feet. By 1:00 PM, the southerly wind was blowing twenty knots with seas in chops of four to six feet. The highest air temperature value observed in the shade was 64°F. The tide (current) was moderate. The sky was mostly overcast with some sun here and there. The visibility ranged from ten to fifteen miles in haze. The surface water temperature reached a high value of 61°F. And this is where it should be at this time of year.
The fishing conditions weren't the best so I would give it a value of good. The weather, mostly. The catching was excellent as was the fishing. Everyone walked off the boat with more fillets than they needed. Even the angler who was sea sick, and incapacitated from it, walked off with twenty-five pounds of fillets. Most legal fish landed were pollock, by far. Legal landings also included one cusk. Released fish included twelve cod of 5 pounds or better, eight dogfish, three blue sharks, twenty-four haddock of various sizes and a couple small pollock and cod. They anchored and drift fished. Cod flies worked best. No bait was used today.
I don't know who was high hook today. But Norm Herrick caught over forty fish, mostly pollock. But that also includes the haddock and cod that he caught. And Norm gives fish away so I couldn't tell from the fillet bags. His largest fish was a 12 pound pollock. John Cox (VT) won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, a 16 pound cod. The second largest fish was a 15.5 pound pollock caught by George Hartman (VT). George also caught a 10 pound pollock. Keith Weber (NY) caught the third largest fish, a 12.5 pound pollock. Ian also weighed a 10 pound pollock and a pollock of 10.5 pounds for Keith.
Other Angler Highlights: Lexie Williams (MT) caught the best double of the day. The double included a 12 pound pollock and an 8 pound pollock, both fish caught on the same line at the same time. Grace Schultz (ME) landed the hard luck award t-shirt. She was the high hurler of the trip.
I received a generous $150.00 donation sponsoring me in my cancer fund raiser called the Pan-Mass Challenge today. The event is over but I am still very active in trying to generate donations. This donation came from Marc & Claire St. Onge (ME). They have supported me since I started working this event in 2007. Thank you both so very much for this support and help. I very much appreciate it.
At 5:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 70°F, the sky was mostly overcast, the wind was blowing out of the west at fifteen knots and the visibility over the ocean was good, at least. Ashore, the sky was mostly sunny all day. There were some clouds. But, today, they didn't get in the way of the bully sun. The wind started off out of the southwest at almost twenty knots, at 2:30 AM, hauled out of the west at 5:00 AM, died out around 7:30 AM and then hauled out of the northwest. At first, the northwest wind blew a sustained twenty-five knots with gusts to thirty knots. An hour later, the northwest wind was blowing at fifteen to twenty knots. By noon, the wind had dropped and had hauled out of the north. I don't believe the wind blew any harder out of the north than ten knots. The air temperature dropped to a value of 68°F by noon and remained at that value for most of the afternoon. The air temperature started to drop before sunset. The visibility was excellent. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 73°F with a low of 57°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 71°F (with a low of 43°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 71°F (with a low of 47°F).
On the fishing grounds, the wind blew out of the northwest at fifteen to twenty knots with higher gusts to start. This wind diminished to about ten knots or less and then hauled out of the north at fifteen to twenty knots. This wind too diminished for the ride home. Seas were chops of three to five feet to start and two to four feet before they wrapped it up for the day. Seas were less than that on the way in. The sky was sunny all day. The tide (current) was moderate. The air temperature reached a high of 67°F. The visibility ranged to over twenty miles. The surface water temperature reached a high of 62°F.
The fishing conditions were good at best between the seas, the wind and the dogfish. Catching was good. Landings were fair to good today, not like yesterday's trip. Most legal fish landed were pollock. In fact, no other legal fish were kept. Released fish included forty-six dogfish, six cod over 5 pounds, fourteen haddock and a few small pollock and small cod. They anchored for every spot. All terminal gear worked well. But jigs and cod flies caught the most fish.
Wade Smith (NH) was high hook with the most legal fish. He was fishing away from everyone up in the bow. Page Bouchard (MA) won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, a 15 pound pollock. Page also caught the third largest fish, a 10 pound pollock. Peter Brodeur (QC) caught the second largest fish, an 11 pound cod. Bill Bryant (FL) landed the hard luck award for being constantly tangled throughout the trip today, the worst slack line tangles of the season. Well, someone has to be the worst!
Captain Ian Keniston and Anthony Palumbo are running the extreme day trip today. At 5:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 47°F, the sky was clear, the wind was blowing lightly out of the northeast and the visibility over the ocean was very good. Ashore, the wind was light all day. The wind started to blow out of the northeast, as mentioned. Wind speeds were barely over five knots. Before noon, the wind had already hauled out of the southeast. Again, wind speeds were about five knots or a little more. Late afternoon saw southwest winds of about eight knots. The sky stayed sunny and clear all day. At one point the sky was cloudless. The air temperature got up as high as 65°F. But, at noon, it was still only 58°F. The visibility was excellent. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 65°F with a low of 53°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 68°F (with a low of 40°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 64°F (with a low of 41°F).
On the fishing grounds, the wind blew out of the northeast at five knots in the morning, dying out late, and hauled out of the southeast at five knots in the afternoon. They had light southwest wind on the ride back to Perkins Cove. The air temperature reached a high of 67°F in the shade. The tide (current) was moderate. The visibility was excellent, over twenty miles. The sky was sunny and clear in the morning and overcast in the afternoon. The surface water temperature reached a high of 62°F.
The fishing, catching and landings were very good today. Most fish caught today, legal or sub-legal were pollock, by far. Legal landings also included six cusk. Released fish included twenty-three haddock, eleven cod of 5 pounds or better, thirty-two dogfish, two blue sharks and a handful of small cod and pollock. Drifting was the method. Jigs and flies caught the most fish. Bait was not used. In fact, bait has only been best for haddock, which we can't keep until November 1st.
Richard Morrell (ME) or Lewis Hazelwood (MA) were high hook with the most legal fish. This would make Lewis the fisherman of the day because he also won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, a 23 pound pollock. And he tied for the second largest fish with a 22 pound cod. Captain Ian took a picture of Lew holding up his 23 pound pollock. That digital image appears on the upper left. Lew also caught a double that included a 17.5 pound pollock and a 15 pound pollock. This double is the Bunny Clark's fifth largest double of the 2018 fishing season so far. Some of Lew's other good fish included a 12.5 pound pollock and a 13 pound pollock. Richard caught a double that included an 18 pound cod and a 17 pound pollock. This is the Bunny Clark's fourth largest double of the 2018 fishing season to date. Ian took a picture of Richard holding his big double. This digital image appears on the right. Some of Richard's other good fish included an 18.5 pound pollock, a 14 pound pollock and a 13 pound pollock. Scott Hubbard (NY) tied with Lew for the second largest fish of the trip. Scott's fish was a 22 pound pollock.
Other Angler Highlights: Tim Rozan (ME) landed a 12 pound pollock, an 11 pound pollock and a 14 pound pollock, collectively his biggest fish of the trip. Anthony Palumbo caught a 14 pound pollock, his best, although he did not fish much. Valerie Hamel (ME) caught a 10 pound pollock, her biggest fish. Maurice Harp (ME) also caught a 10 pound pollock. Lillian Hubbard (NY) caught a 12 pound pollock, her biggest fish. She also landed the hard luck award because she went fishing on her birthday for her husband. That award, of course, is the captain's choice.
I was surprised today when I received a very generous donation sponsoring me in this year's Pan-Mass Challenge from John Bockstoce (MA), the famous arctic historian. Mr. Bockstoce has written several books on the arctic with the most superior photography I have ever seen. His donation was $250.00. But I thought it very nice that he would support me in this project. Thanks so much, John. I very much appreciate your support!
At 5:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 53°F, the sky was overcast directly above but seemed clear over the eastern horizon, the wind was blowing out of the northeast with sustained winds of twenty-two to twenty-three knots (with higher gusts) and the visibility over the ocean was very good. The northeast wind blew up to almost thirty knots until around 10:00 AM, when it started to back off. By noon, the northeast wind was blowing at fifteen knots, sustained. By 3:00 PM, the northeast wind wasn't even blowing as hard as ten knots. There was no wind in the later afternoon. The sky was clear all day with a bright sun. The viability was excellent over the ocean. The air temperature reached a high, that I saw, of 58°F. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 60°F with a low of 54°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 60°F (with a low of 40°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 55°F (with a low of 42°F).
The day wasn't without excitement. In the morning, I found a leaking drain pipe under the lobster cooking tank that was shooting water on to the gas burners used to heat the water. This wasn't good. But we were able to get a temporary fix with the help of local plumber, Bion "Benny" Noble. This took most of the morning and eliminated the time I needed to complete this fishing update complete with pictures from yesterday's successful extreme day trip.
The rest of the day was spent working at the restaurant and planning meetings with individuals for tomorrow.
At 5:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 46°F, the sky was almost overcast with one bright star (Venus?) observable through the clouds over the eastern horizon, the wind was blowing out of the southeast at ten knots and the visibility over the ocean was very good. More later.
I am presently looking for a deck hand for the rest of this season and for next season. If anyone is interested in the position, you can give us a call at 207-646-2214.
We have many available fishing spots on future fishing trips coming up this week and the next. These vacancies are as follows: We have eighteen fishing spots available on the Wednesday, September 26, extreme day trip, nine fishing spots available on the Thursday, September 27, marathon trip, seventeen fishing spots available on the Friday, September 28, extreme day trip, eleven fishing spots available on the Saturday, September 29, full day trip, nineteen fishing spots available on the Sunday, September 30, extreme day trip, seventeen fishing spots available on the Monday, October 1, extreme day trip, twelve fishing spots available on the Wednesday, October 3, extreme day trip, twelve fishing spots available on the Thursday, October 4, marathon trip and sixteen fishing spots available on the Friday, October 5, extreme day trip. The fall looks to be setting up for great fishing after a very productive summer. This is the time of year I would go if I wanted to catch bigger than normal fish or more fish. But that's me. To make a reservation you can call 207-646-2214.
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