Bunny Clark Fishing Update
Written & Edited by Tim Tower
May 9, 2008, 3:00 AM EDT
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Captain Ian Keniston and I ran the marathon trip today. At 5:00 AM EDT, the air temperature was 32°F, the sky was clear, the wind was blowing out of the northwest at fifteen or more knots and the visibility was excellent. The ride to the fishing grounds was uneventful. We sailed to leeward with a two foot following chop backed up by a northwest wind of about fifteen knots. The conditions were the same on the fishing grounds. The air temperature was on the cool side all morning and on the mild side all afternoon. The wind kept dropping all day until it became almost calm while also hauling out of the west around noon. The wind blew lightly out of the west for the afternoon with a sea just rough enough that you could discern the direction of the wind. It was actually quite calm all afternoon. We carried calm seas and light winds all the way back to Perkins Cove. The sky was mostly sunny all day and the visibility remained excellent. The surface sea water temperature reached a high of 42.8°F, the highest surface water temperature of the season so far. The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 51°F (with a low of 28°F) today. In Boston, Massachusetts the high was 55°F (with a low of 36°F) today. Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 52°F (with a low of 26°F) today.The fishing was very good to excellent overall. Most legal fish landed were cod. Landings also included fourteen legal haddock and one wolffish. We anchored and drift fished. All terminal gear worked well.
Tim Williams (CT) was high hook with the most legal fish. His largest fish was a 16.5 pound cod which he released back to the ocean alive. This was also the third largest fish of the trip. Some of his other good fish included two cod of 9 pounds each, three cod of 8 pounds each, a 14.5 pound cod and the largest wolffish of the season (so far) at 7 pounds. His legal haddock count was three, all caught on a jig. Bill Winslow (ME) was probably second hook. His largest fish was a 9 pound cod which he released back to the ocean alive. Bill also caught the most legal haddock of the day with a count of four. Dana Decormier (NH) won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, a 22.5 pound cod. This is the largest cod of the Bunny Clark fishing season so far. He released this fish back to the ocean alive. Some of his other better fish included an 11.5 pound cod (which he released back to the ocean alive), two cod of 9 pounds each and an 8.25 pound cod. Mark LaRocca (NY) won the boat pool for the second largest fish with the second largest fish, a 21 pound cod. This is Mark's fifth largest cod ever and the Bunny Clark's second largest cod (fish) of the season so far. A picture of Mark with his steaker appears on the left. Mark's second largest fish was a 10 pound cod.
Other Angler Highlights: Marco Morin (ME) caught the largest cod of his life today, a 10.5 pounder. He led the second largest fish pool with an 8 pounder for most of the morning. Dan Kelley (ME) did very well indeed. He released cod of 12 pounds, 13 pounds and 10.75 pounds back to the ocean alive. He kept quite a few smaller legal cod including an 8.5 pounder and an 8.8 pounder. Dan won the hard luck award t-shirt by losing a jig after he got it hung up on the bottom.
When we got back to the dock, I opened up the engine hatch to look at the machinery (as we always do after every trip). I noticed the belts on the same alternator were loose again. After Ian was done cleaning up the boat, my son, Micah, and I came down and opened up the engine room area. I climbed down in there and took the belts off both alternators and took a close look at everything. I found dings in the pulley coming off the engine's camshaft obviously made last fall when the alternator fan exploded and sent pieces flying around the engine room. These dings had two associated "meat hooks" that were tearing into one belt also producing a vibration that was loosening the whole system. With the belts on, you would never see the dings. So, I took a Dremel tool and took out the sharp edges. After this I went through both alternator set ups, making sure everything was secure and added new belts to both. We should be fine but we'll keep a close eye on things. With boats this stuff never ends. That on top of $4.00 plus fuel prices. Yikes!
I also received two wonderful donations from customers aboard the boat today. Of course, I'm referring to the upcoming Pan-Mass Challenge, an 192 mile two day cycling event raising money for a cancer cure with the Jimmy Fund. The event starts on August 2, 2008. I've been accepting contributions since the middle of January. The two donations came from Dana & Laurie Decormier (NH) for $50.00 and Mark & Maureen LaRocca (NY) for $100.00. They believe as I do: the quicker we learn about cancer and it's cures, the better off people will be. Not only that, the need and the drive to find cures for the various cancers will help find cures for other diseases along the way. Thanks so much, Dana, Laurie, Mark and Maureen for your support and help. Many will appreciate your unselfishness and kindness.
Captain Ian Keniston and Jared Keniston ran the Extreme Day trip today. At 5:00 AM EDT, the air temperature was 32°F, the sky was clear, the wind was blowing out of the northwest at ten knots and the visibility was excellent. The wind was light northwest when the Bunny Clark nosed out of Perkins Cove headed to the fishing grounds. It was a calm ride the whole way. On the grounds, the wind was light and variable and the ocean remained calm. The ride home was calm with light southerly winds. The sky stayed clear, the air temperature mild and the visibility excellent all day. The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 57°F (with a low of 33°F) today. In Boston, Massachusetts the high was 53°F (with a low of 37°F) today. Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 58°F (with a low of 22°F) today.The fishing was excellent. Most legal fish landed were cod. Landings also included nineteen legal haddock, two legal pollock and a cusk. They drift fished all day. All terminal gear worked perfectly.
Steve Shugars (ME) was high hook, saying he caught the most legal fish he has ever caught in his life. His three biggest fish were an 11.5 pound cod, an 11 pound cod and a 13 pound cod. Ray McIntire (ME) won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, a 23.5 pound cod. Of course, he's a McIntire! What do you think! Ray's steaker cod is the biggest fish caught on the Bunny Clark this season so far. His picture (taken by Captain Ian) with said cod appears on the right. His second largest fish was a 16 pound cod. The second largest fish of the trip was a 20.5 pound cod caught by Disco Mike (NH). Jackie Paskal (ME) caught the third largest fish, a 19 pound cod. Her second largest fish was an 11 pound cod. She also caught the hard luck award for losing a rig and 350 feet of line!
Other Angler Highlights: Mark LaRocca (NY) caught a 10 pound cod, an 11 pound cod and a 14.5 pound cod as his three largest fish. Jack Henke (NY) caught a 17.5 pound cod as his largest fish. Jim Boyd (NH) boated a 12.5 pound cod and an 11 pound cod as his best two fish. Russell Mott (ME) caught a 13 pound cod, his best fish. Willy Vollmerding (NH) landed a 15 pound cod and a 12 pound cod, his two best. Dan Payne (ME) boated a 14.5 pound cod, his best fish. Owen McIntire (ME) landed a 15 pound cod as his biggest fish. Ed Martin (ME) caught the most haddock with a count of five keepers.
Jared Keniston and I ran the marathon trip today. At 3:00 AM EDT, the air temperature was 33°F, the sky was clear, the wind was blowing lightly out of the northwest and the visibility was excellent. The wind was light northwest on the ride to the fishing grounds. At dawn, the wind flunked out altogether. All day the ocean remained flat calm. In the morning we would occasionally get a puff of wind from the northwest. In the afternoon we would occasionally get a puff of wind from the south. The wind finally established itself out of the south. We carried ten knots of southerly wind with a one foot chop for the ride home. The sky stayed clear, the air temperature mild and the visibility excellent all day. The surface sea water temperature reached a high of 42.6°F, the highest surface water temperature of the season so far. The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 58°F (with a low of 28°F) today. In Boston, Massachusetts the high was 58°F (with a low of 37°F) today. Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 68°F (with a low of 24°F) today.
The fishing was excellent in the morning everywhere we went and as dead as I have ever seen it from noon until the last fifteen minutes of the trip. In that last fifteen minutes we boated a half a tote of legal fish. Everything considered, it was a very good fishing day for legal fish. Most legal fish landed were cod. However, as the fishing got worse (as the day progressed), the balance changed from mostly cod to mostly haddock. In the end, we landed the second most haddock of the season so far. Landings also included seven legal pollock, one cusk, one wolffish (probably 5 pounds) and one sea raven. We anchored once and drifted the rest of the time. Jigs caught the bigger fish while bait caught the most haddock. Flies worked well today.
Fred Kunz (NH) was the fisherman of the day. He was high hook with the most legal fish (including six legal haddock) and he won the boat pool for the largest fish of the trip with the largest Bunny Clark fish of the season, a 45 pound Maine state trophy cod. This is Fred's tenth largest cod of his life and the earliest he has ever caught a big cod in many years. It was also the second great cod in a row that he has caught with a #16 Lavjig. On his last trip (in November of 2007) he released a 49 pound Maine state trophy cod which he caught while using a Lavjig (We get them from Dennis LaValley at lavjigs@yahoo.com.). Some of his other good fish on the trip included two cod of 12 pounds each, a 10 pound cod, a 14 pound cod, an 11 pound cod and an 11.5 pound cod. Tom Miller (NH) was second hook. Tom's best fish included a 12 pound pollock, two cod of exactly 10 pounds each, a 12.5 pound cod and a 15.5 pound cod. Dana Ferrande (ME) won the boat pool for the second largest fish with the second largest fish, a 38.5 pound Maine state trophy cod. This is Dana's largest cod ever and the Bunny Clark's second largest fish of the season so far. The third largest fish was a 20.5 pound cod caught by Tim Williams (CT). Tim tagged (Tim Tower's tagging program) and released this fish back to the ocean alive. Tim's second largest fish was a 10 pound cod. Tim caught the least number of legal fish I have ever seen him catch on such a good day. The count might have been ten; I'm not sure. It wasn't until he got a good bird's nest in his reel on a cast that caused him to part off a jig that I knew he deserved the hard luck award. It's been many moons since Tim has recieved such an award!
The Perfect Weather Marathon Day of April 16, 2008 |
I received a generous donation of $50.00 from Dana Ferrande (ME) toward my fund raising efforts in the Pan-Mass Challenge, an 192 mile bike ride for cancer research with the Jimmy Fund (Dana-Farber Cancer Institute). Dana made a great donation to the Jimmy Fund last year as well. Thanks so much for your thoughtfulness and support. I very much appreciate it.
The fishing was fair to good overall with some slow fishing at one point and very good fishing at another. Finding the fish wasn't a problem. Getting them to bite in the calm, placid, sunny, summer-like weather was problematic. Most legal fish landed were cod. Landings also included eleven legal haddock, one dogfish and one pollock. They drift fished all day. All terminal gear worked about the same but there wasn't a cod safe around Ray Johnson's (NH) jig!
Ray Johnson was high hook with the most legal fish, a full count of ten. His largest fish was probably 9 pounds. Jerome Miklovcich (NY) won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, a 37 pound Maine state trophy cod. This is Jerome's largest cod of his life and the Bunny Clark's third largest fish/cod of the fishing season. Will Brune (ME) caught the second largest fish, a 12 pound cod. The third largest fish was a cod of 10 pounds caught by Dan Eaton (ME). Dan, incidentally, caught the first dogfish of the season today. Regine Hibl (ME) landed the hard luck award for being involved in the most tangles.
I received a very generous donation of $250.00 from Paul Kostopoulos (CT) supporting my fund raising efforts in the Pan-Mass Challenge, an 192 mile two day cycling event (Sturbridge, MA to P-town, MA) to help fight cancer with the Jimmy Fund on August 2nd and 3rd. Last year was the first time I had ever done this and I was so impressed with the whole operation that I decided to do it again this year. Paul's is the 30th donation I have received so far. Thanks so much for supporting the Jimmy Fund and the PMC ride again this year. I appreciate it very much!
Captain Ian Keniston and I ran the marathon trip today. At 3:00 AM EDT, the air temperature was 38°F, the sky was clear, the wind was light out of the northeast and the visibility was excellent. We had a calm ocean surface over long rolling swells of about four feet on the ride to the fishing grounds. On the grounds, the swells were a bit bigger and actually grew a bit more before the day was out. After noon, I was recording swells of five to seven feet. The surface, though, remained calm for the day. Winds were light and variable, the sky stayed clear and sunny, the air temperature went from mild to warm (on anchor) and the visibility was excellent. The surface sea water temperature reached a high of 43.0°F. The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 73°F (with a low of 33°F) today. In Boston, Massachusetts the high was 68°F (with a low of 43°F) today. Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 82°F (with a low of 30°F) today.I would say that the fishing was good overall, certainly no better than that. We did have one excellent anchor stop but it only was excellent for about a half an hour and we caught mostly big haddock - which seemed very unusual to me. Most legal fish landed today were haddock. In fact, it was the second best day for haddock landings this season on the Bunny Clark. Landings also included forty-three legal cod and nine legal pollock. We drift fished all morning and the early part of the afternoon and anchored for the rest of the day. We made a lot of stops today. All terminal gear worked well.
Jeff Frisby (NY) was high hook with the most legal fish, an actual count of sixteen. He bested this year's Bunny Clark record for most legal haddock by individual on a trip with a count of thirteen. His largest fish was an 11 pound cod while his largest haddock weighed 6.75 pounds, a quarter pound shy of a Maine state trophy. Ken Steele (NY) won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, an 18 pound cod. His best haddock weighed 6.9 pounds, just a hair shy of a Maine state trophy. Dave MacDonald (MA) won the boat pool for second largest fish with the second largest fish, a 17.5 pound cod. Dave also caught an 11 pound cod and a lot of haddock. Harry Embry (MA) came in third (the first loser) with a 17 pound cod.
Mike Doris (NY) caught the Bunny Clark's largest double keeper catch of the fishing season today. His double included an 11 pound pollock and a 14 pound pollock, both caught on the same line at the same time. A picture of Mike holding this great catch appears on the upper left of today's entry. Gloria Gennari (MA) caught a 10 pound cod as her largest fish Billy Glander (MA) caught a 13 pound pollock, his best fish. Ray Westermann (MA) kept everything aboard today. He even boated his best haddock which I thought highly unusual. His biggest fish was a cod that weighed 15 pounds. Herb Pirzl (MN) landed an 11 pound cod, his best. Jon Griffin (MA) caught the largest haddock of the trip and tied this year's Bunny Clark record with a beast of 7.5 pounds, a Maine state trophy. A picture of Griff with his prize appears on the right. Patrick Lemay (QC), who likes the Montreal Canadiens way too much, caught some really big haddock. The haddock of his that I weighed included two of exactly 6.75 pounds each and one 6 pounder. He had others over 5 pounds I did not weigh. He won the hard luck award for being the sole hurler.
Adam Quimby (ME) told me at the beginning of the trip that he would donate $.50/pound to the Pan-Mass Challenge for every fish he caught over 10 pounds and a dollar for every legal fish. At the end of the day he gave me $33.00 towards my ride in the event. His three largest fish of the trip included a 12 pound pollock, an 11 pound cod and a 12 pound cod. Dan Desgrosseilliers (NH) donated $20.00 outright toward the same 192 bike ride for cancer taking place on August 2nd. His donation is "in memory of Paul and with high hopes for Al". Thank you both very much. My only wish was that I could have caught more fish for Adam! By the way, Dan's best fish was a 5.5 pound haddock.
The fishing was good. Most fish caught were sub-legal cod, a pile of them. So many that Ian had to move away from them on several occasions. Legal landings were also mostly cod. Landings also included six legal haddock and one legal pollock. Almost everyone had a couple of legal cod, many with over four legal fish each. They drift fished for the trip. All terminal gear worked well.
Charlie Wrobel (NY) was high hook with six legal fish. Russell Brooks (VT) won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, an 11.5 pound cod. The second largest fish was a 10 pound cod caught by Steve Martel (MA). Bill Roberts (NY) boated the third largest fish, a 9 pound cod.
Other Angler Highlights: Janelle Gibson (NY) caught a 7 pound cod, one of the early larger fish. Phil Waldron (MA) landed a 7.5 pound cod, his best. Jordan Corey (NY) landed the hard luck award t-shirt for getting the dreaded mal de mer and for being one of two anglers who didn't land a legal fish.
And in case anyone didn't know, the Bruins beat the Habs at the Garden forcing a game seven in Montreal. Tabernack!
The fishing was fair to good. Unlike yesterday, some anglers caught from five to nine legal fish while others didn't catch much except sub-legal fish. Also, unlike yesterday, the fish were much smaller. Most legal fish landed were haddock. Landings also included twenty-two legal cod, three good sized redfish and one cusk. They completed a number of stops, some they drift fished and others they anchored. Bait worked best.
Shawn Sullivan (NH) was high hook with the most legal fish, a full count of ten. His largest fish was a 6.5 pound cod, the second largest fish of the trip. Ray Johnson (NH) was second hook with nine legal fish, all haddock and the most haddock for an individual for the trip. Mike Kirovac (NH) won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, a 6.75 pound haddock. This fish was only a quarter pound shy of a Maine state trophy. Linda Paul (ME) landed the third largest fish of the trip, a 6 pound cod. Corey Fleury (NY) boated the hard luck award for attaining the title of "high hurler". And he was.
Also, the New England Fishery Management Council made a ruling on the skin off/skin on issue as it applies to recreational vessels (including party/charter boats). The good news is that, as it stands now, you will be able to skin your filleted fish at sea in the upcoming Amendment 16 (due out in 2009) to the fishery management plan. The bad news is that we will have to live with the "skin on" regulation through the 2008 fishing season. Also, between now and the hearing date on Amendment 16, they could vote to reverse their decision on this. We are dealing with it on the Bunny Clark by cutting most of the skin off but leaving it attached to the end of the fillet. This is okay under the present rule as long as the whole skin is left to match the entire fillet and as long as the skin stays attached. Once you step on the dock after the trip, you can pull the skins from the fillets. It's not that bad. It's hardest on the deck hands because they have to watch that they don't take the whole skin off. It's a bit of a hassle for them. However, it works. Also, remember, you can totally skin groundfish at sea that don't have a length limit like cusk, wolffish, eel pout and the hakes.
Also, there was a nice article about Lance Armstrong running the Boston Marathon tomorrow and his thoughts about solving the cancer problem. The article was well written and gives one food for thought. http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2008/04/20/renewing_the_war_on_cancer/ Note the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute mention and it's health care facilities as compared to the rest of the nation. We are very lucky to live in New England. Also remember that none of it comes free and donations do help (i.e.: Pan-Mass Challenge)
Captain Ian had just arrived on the fishing grounds with the Bunny Clark when one of our wonderful regular anglers had a medical emergency of a sensitive nature. The boat was turned around and taken back to Perkins Cove where an ambulance was waiting to bring the individual to York Hospital. Most of us were very saddened by this event as this guy has meant a lot to us and almost seems part of the crew. It was hard on every one in many different ways but it was something that no one had anticipated and something that was handled correctly in all regards. The fishing trip was just not meant to be. We're wishing one of our best a complete recovery and some good luck as well. And, yes, it is cancer related, I'm sorry to say.
I received two great donations today toward my participation in the upcoming Pan-Mass Challenge, an 192 mile two day cycling fund raising event for a cancer cure with the Jimmy Fund. The ride starts on August 2, 2008. I've been accepting contributions since the middle of January. The two donations came from Irwin & Cela Libeskind (MA) at Cell Sciences outside of Boston for $1, 000.00 and from Rosemay Woodbury (MA) for $100.00. These are significant donations not only in the quality of the gifts but also as it puts me over the minimum amount I pledged (guaranteed) to raise when I signed up for the ride in January ($6, 700.00). Thank you so much for your help. I appreciate it so very much and it gives me a great deal of faith in the capacity of other individual's hearts. Great people for a great cause.
I watched the last Bruins game of the season tonight. They lost to a much more prepared Montreal Canadien's team who also had a little more luck on their side this evening. The Bruins have the best team they have had in years and I'm looking forward to next season.
We recorded our slowest fishing trip (for landings and fish biting) of the year today. The fishing overall was just fair. Most legal fish landed were cod. Landings also included eleven legal haddock, two legal pollock and one wolffish. They drift fished and anchored. All terminal gear worked the same except for one angler who was high hook and used a jig for the duration.
Tim Williams (CT) was the fisherman of the day. He was high hook with eight legal fish and he won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, a 9 pound cod. He also caught the second largest fish of the trip, an 8.5 pound pollock. The third largest fish was an 8 pound cod caught by Chris Franklin (ME).
Other Angler Highlights: Dana Decormier (NH) caught a 7.25 pound cod, his largest fish - and one of the larger ones of the day. Larry Pinkham (ME) won the hard luck award for getting the most tangled lines.
Jared Keniston and I ran the marathon trip today. At 3:00 AM EDT, the air temperature was 49°F, the sky was clear, the wind was blowing out of the south at five knots and the visibility was very good. We had a little bit of a bumpy ride to the fishing grounds while riding into a two foot chop/swell from the southwest. On the grounds, the wind blew out of the west southwest at about ten knots or more in the morning but very slowly died out. Seas were about a foot or two in chops. By noon, the wind had hauled almost directly out of the southwest but was only blowing about five knots or less and the ocean was fairly calm. By mid afternoon, the wind had started to blow from the south southwest but it was very light. We had calm seas and light south southwest winds following us back to Perkins Cove. The air temperature started out mild but became almost warm by noon. The air temperature was warm by mid afternoon and I got down to a t-shirt over a long sleeved shirt - and was almost too warm with that! The sky remained sunny all day and the visibility maxed out at about ten or fifteen miles in haze. The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 76°F (with a low of 43°F) today. In Boston, Massachusetts the high was 84°F (with a low of 50°F) today. Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 85°F (with a low of 43°F) today.The fishing was steady all day long, best in the afternoon. Overall I would call it an excellent day, our best total landings for a trip this year so far, the largest number of big fish so far and the largest fish of the Bunny Clark fishing season so far. Late in the afternoon, the boat exploded with big cod. This totally took me by surprise. Most legal fish landed were haddock, our best day of haddock fishing of the season so far. This was followed closely by legal cod. We also had a handful of legal pollock. These pollock were some of the skinniest pollock I have seen. We tried drifting in the morning with very little success. Anchoring worked the best by far but it took me longer than normal to figure this out. Bait caught the most fish and all but two of the cod over 20 pounds.
I couldn't tell you for sure who was high hook but Jared thought it was Paul "Gus" Carter (PA). He and Ken Fowler (PA) caught fish after fish - it seemed. Gus' largest fish was a 26 pound Maine state trophy cod. His second largest fish was a 13.5 pound cod and his largest haddock weighed 6 pounds. For his part in the big fish department, Ken landed a 19.5 pound cod as his best. Clarence Potts (PA) won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, a 59 pound Maine state trophy cod. This is the largest fish he has ever caught and the Bunny Clark's largest cod since November of 2006. Clarence told me the hardest part of catching this fish was holding it up for a picture! This picture (with Jared Keniston - right - helping him hold it - at that point he was done holding it by himself!) appears upper left of this today's entry. Brandon Ware (PA) won the boat pool for the second largest fish with the second largest fish, a 42 pound Maine state trophy cod. This is the largest cod he has ever caught and the Bunny Clark's third largest cod/fish of the season so far.
Brandon also caught one of the largest pollock at 9.75 pounds and the largest haddock at 6.5 pounds. A picture of Brandon with his big cod appears on the right. Dan Kelley (ME) boated the third largest fish of the trip, a 41 pound Maine state trophy cod. This is Dan's largest ever cod and the Bunny Clark's fourth largest cod of the 2008 fishing season so far. Dan's picture with said cod appears on the left. Dan also tagged and released alive a 20.5 pound cod and a 32 pound Maine state trophy cod of forty-four inches caliper fork length. A couple other fish of note (for Dan) were a 9.5 pound pollock and the first steaker of the day at 21 pounds. He led the boat pool for a long time with that bigger cod.
Other Angler Highlights: Tim Williams (CT) fished with a jig all day and had a hard time for most of the day (clams were the thing). Unlike Fred Kunz (NH), Tim is a pure jig fisherman. Tim caught the first fish of the trip, a 5.5 pound haddock. His largest fish was a 25 pound Maine state trophy cod and he also caught a 23.5 pound cod. He tagged and released the 25 pounder and tagged and released a 10 pound cod. Joseph Smyth (NY) caught the most legal pollock with a count of five. His largest fish was a 22 pound cod. His largest pollock weighed 10 pounds and he caught another cod of 12 pounds. Ted Harris (PA) caught a 24.5 pound cod as his largest fish, just a half pound shy of a Maine state trophy. He also landed the coveted hardest luck of the trip t-shirt for being tangled. He blames everyone else for his plight. Ty Kashmiry (ME) boated a 5 pound haddock as his biggest of that species and a 12 pounder as his largest cod. Bob Hitchcock (ME) landed a 5.75 pound haddock and two haddock of 5.5 pounds as his first three fish. He two best fish were a 12.5 pound cod and a 19 pound cod. Don "Manly Number 12" Stancil (PA) boated a 13.5 pound cod and a 6 pound haddock as his biggest fish of each species. He was the only individual to land a double keeper pollock catch. Vernon Broadus (PA), a cousin of Snoop, caught a 34.5 pound Maine state trophy cod as his largest fish. He was the self proclaimed high hook (but also lied about losing three jigs just so he could get the hard luck award t-shirt!). Must be the new math! Hermon Guyton (PA) boated a 37.5 pound Maine state trophy cod as his largest fish. This is the largest cod of his life and the sixth largest fish/cod of the Bunny Clark fishing season so far.
I received $25.00 from Tim Williams, $25.00 from Ted Harris and $20.00 from Dan Killay (VT - glad everything worked out with the rod & reel this winter) today supporting my fund raising efforts in the Pan-Mass Challenge, an 192 mile two day cycling event (Sturbridge, MA to P-town, MA) to help fight cancer with the Jimmy Fund on August 2nd and 3rd. Tim donated to the cause a couple of times last year as did Ted. This is Dan's first donation - wonderful. Thank you all so much. I so very much appreciate it.
The fishing was very good overall. Most legal fish landed were haddock, the second most haddock for a trip for the season so far. Landings also included about half as many cod and one sculpin. They drift fished all day. All terminal gear worked well, even on the haddock.
Bob Hitchcock (ME) was high hook with the most legal fish, a full count of sixteen, mostly haddock. Chris Enemarh (ME) won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, a 14.5 pound cod. Fourteen year old Ryan Keniston (ME) caught thirteen legal fish total. His best catch was a double keeper catch that included a 10.5 pound cod and an 8 pound cod caught on the same line at the same time. His largest fish was a 12 pound cod, the second largest fish of the trip. And he caught the largest haddock at 6.5 pounds. Gus Carter (PA) caught the thrid largest fish, an 11 pound cod. He also won the hard luck award for getting the most tangles.
Other Angler Highlights: Ted Harris (PA) caught a 10 pound cod, his largest fish and the fifth largest fish of the trip.
Captain Ian Keniston and I ran the marathon trip today. At 3:00 AM EDT, the air temperature was 48°F, the sky was clear, the wind was blowing out of the northwest at five knots and the visibility was excellent. The wind was light out of the northwest and the ocean was calm on the ride to the fishing grounds. On the grounds, the wind started to blow out of the southwest, but only lightly. The ocean stayed calm. Towards noon, the wind flunked out altogether leaving the ocean glass calm. The wind started to blow out of the southeast by mid afternoon. The wind was light at first but then increased to about ten knots along with a one foot chops. We carried ten or more knots of southeast wind with one to two foot chops all the way back to Perkins Cove. The air temperature was warm all day (t-shirt weather) until the southeast wind struck in the afternoon. The sky stayed sunny and clear with some high clouds sneaking in during the late afternoon. The visibility was very good with a range over twenty-five miles all day. The surface sea water temperature reached a high of 50.8°F on the fishing grounds. The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 60°F (with a low of 37°F) today. In Boston, Massachusetts the high was 62°F (with a low of 49°F) today. Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 76°F (with a low of 32°F) today.The fishing was slow and steady or good and steady all day long with a good pick on good sized fish in the afternoon, the fishing was good overall. Most legal fish landed were haddock. Landings also included fifty-three legal cod, eight legal pollock, our largest wolffish of the season and a few dogfish. We anchored most of the morning and drift fished most of the afternoon. All terminal gear worked about the same but bait caught the most haddock.
Bob Hitchcock (ME) was the fisherman of the day. He was high hook with the most legal fish, a count of seventeen. He also won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, a 35.5 pound Maine state trophy cod, and won the boat pool for the second largest fish with the second largest fish, a 28 pound Maine state trophy cod. A picture of Bob and the largest cod of his life appears in this late afternoon shot on the upper left. His third largest fish was a cod of 23 pounds. These three cod are the largest cod he has ever caught. Part of his catch included three legal pollock. His two largest weighed 14 pounds and 10 pounds. It was a heck of a day for Bob. He fished with a jig and jig stick in the bow.
The third largest fish was a 24 pound cod caught by Ken Fowler (PA). He was the one who caught the Bunny Clark's largest wolffish of the season so far at 13 pounds. A picture of Ken and his cat appears on the lower left. Notice the fearsome teeth (of the fish) used to crush mollusks and lobster as food. Ken also caught one of the largest haddock of the day weighing 6.5 pounds.
Other Angler Highlights: Don "Manly Number 12" Stancil (PA) caught ten legal fish while fishing on the bow pulpit. His best fish was a 6.75 pound haddock, the second largest haddock of the trip. Paul "Gus" Carter (PA) landed a 16 pound cod as his largest fish. He also caught the largest haddock of the trip, a 7.5 pound Maine state trophy. This is the largest haddock of his life and a tie for the Bunny Clark's largest haddock of the fishing season so far. A picture of Gus' smiling face and big haddock appears on the upper right. Brandon Ware (PA) boated a 12.5 pound cod and a 17 pound cod as his two largest fish. Doug McDonald (NY) caught a 23.5 pound cod, the fourth largest fish of the trip. He also caught an 18 pound cod. Fred Kunz (NH) boated two cod of 18 pound each, his two largest fish. He lost two real big cod half way up from bottom! Greg Filipowski (NY) boated one of the bigger pollock of the day weighing 11.5 pounds. Ted Harris (PA) might have caught the most legal haddock with a count of eight. He landed about twelve or thirteen keepers. Vernon Broadus (PA), who I am reminded is closely related to Snoop Dog, won the hard luck award for the most tangled lines.
I received $10.00 from Doug McDonald, $50.00 from Elmer Parent (FL), $60.00 from Don "Manly Number 12" Stancil, $20.00 from Paul "Gus" Carter and $10.00 from Ken Fowler, all donations supporting my fund raising efforts in the Pan-Mass Challenge, an 192 mile two day cycling event (Sturbridge, MA to P-town, MA) to help fight cancer with the Jimmy Fund on August 2nd and 3rd. Thank you all for your support and kindness. I appreciate it very much!
The fishing was just fair to poor today, probably our slowest trip of the year for catching fish. Landings included eleven legal cod, seven legal haddock and one cusk. There were only about twenty-five sub-legal cod that were caught with the legal ones. The problem, I think, was the strong running tide. Like a river it was and even if you took a cast with the jig up towards the bow, it was way past the stern by the time it hit bottom. Not good. They anchored all day. All terminal gear worked about the same.
Adam Wolfson was high hook with three legal fish. His largest fish was a 7.5 pound cod, the second largest fish of the trip. Harry Crowther won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, an 8.5 pound cod. The third largest fish was a 7 pound cod caught by Arnie Ulrich. Lou Costello landed the hard luck award for being high hurler. He didn't mind being the recipient of the award but he certainly didn't like the feeling!
I received two great donations today toward my participation in the upcoming Pan-Mass Challenge, an 192 mile two day cycling fund raising event for a cancer cure with the Jimmy Fund. The ride starts on August 2, 2008. During the early part of the day Pierre & Michele Peloquin (NH) presented me with a check for $200.00. In the evening, Charlie & Linda Nickerson (ME) also presented me with a check for $200.00. Thanks so much for your support. I appreciate it very much.
Captain Ian Keniston and Jared Keniston ran the full day trip today. At 5:00 AM EDT, the air temperature was 45°F, the sky was overcast (it was raining a half hour later), there was no wind, the ocean was calm and the visibility was good. On the fishing grounds, the wind was light and variable all day with a calm seas. The sky stayed overcast all day with occasional sprinkles of rain. The air temperature was mild and the visibility was about fifteen miles in haze. The sea surface temperature reached a high of 47.1°F on the fishing grounds. The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 51°F (with a low of 43°F) today. In Boston, Massachusetts the high was 51°F (with a low of 46°F) today. Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 52°F (with a low of 42°F) today.The fishing was good overall. Most legal fish landed were cod. Landings also included twenty-one legal haddock, three legal pollock and one wolffish. They drift fished all day (and there was no current today to bother them). All terminal gear worked well.
Jay "Sanford" O'Connor (ME - he recently changed his last name) was high hook today with over ten legal fish. His largest fish was an 8.5 pound cod. Steve Kenney (ME) won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, an 18.5 pound pollock. This is the Bunny Clark's largest pollock of the fishing season so far. A picture, taken by Captain Ian, showing Steve and his "racer" pollock appears on the left. His second largest fish was a 13 pound pollock. The second largest fish of the trip was a 15.5 pound cod caught by Joe Eadie (MA) - eat your heart out, Roscoe! A digital image, again taken by Captain Ian, of Joe with his cod can be seen on the right. He also caught a 13 pound cod. Dean Wolf (NJ) caught the third largest fish, a 15 pound pollock.
Other Angler Highlights: Jim LeMay (ME) caught a 14.5 pound cod, his best fish. Frank Noble (ME) landed the hard luck award for the most tangled lines and for losing a jig.
I received a $10.00 donation from Jim Brown (ME) - and I want you to know that I wasn't the one who started using his native name of Sparkling Jig Feather - towards my involvement in the Pan-Mass Challenge. The Pan-Mass Challenge is an 192 mile, two day ride three quarters of the way across Massachusetts supporting the Jimmy Fund, the fund raising arm of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, Massachusetts. The first day of the event is August 2, 2008. Fifty-six hundred riders are expected to attend, all of whom raise at least $3,000.00 each toward the cancer cause. Last year I raised over $20,000.00. This year I would like to raise $10, 000.00 more than that. Every donation counts, big or small, and I appreciate every one. Thank you, Jim.
Captain Ian Keniston and I ran the marathon trip today. At 3:00 AM EDT, the air temperature was 39°F, the sky was overcast, the wind was blowing lightly out of the south and the visibility was good. Before we left the dock the sky was starting to clear. We had light southeast winds, a light chop and long rolling swells of about ten feet on the way to the fishing grounds. On the grounds, the wind blew lightly out of the southeast and the sky had cleared. For most of the morning we had clear skies and mild temperatures. As the day progressed, the wind increased from the southeast and the sky started to gather clouds. Before noon, the sky was overcast and the wind was blowing at around fifteen knots. It started to rain during the mid afternoon and the visibility decreased from fifteen miles to five or six miles, maybe less. We carried twenty (more or less) knots of southeast wind, two to three foot chops and long swells of eight to ten feet for the long ride back to Perkins Cove. It rained hard all the way in. The surface water temperature reached a high of 48.1°F on the fishing grounds. The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 50°F (with a low of 37°F) today. In Boston, Massachusetts the high was 58°F (with a low of 44°F) today. Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 48°F (with a low of 43°F) today.We went further south than we have been fishing. The fishing was good for the first hour, fair until around noon (I was tearing my hair out trying to find fish) and very excellent for the rest of the day, excellent overall. Most legal fish landed were cod. Landings also included a lesser number of legal pollock, twenty-six legal haddock, two cusk, one wolffish and a few dogfish. We anchored and drift fished. All terminal gear worked well but jigs and flies caught the most fish.
Justin Philbrick (NH) was high hook with the most legal fish any angler has caught on the Bunny Clark during a single trip this year so far. His three largest fish included a 15 pound cod, a 15.5 pound cod and a cod of 12 pounds. He led both pools for a while with his two biggest fish. Eddie Santiago (CT) won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, a 22.5 pound pollock. This is the Bunny Clark's largest pollock of the 2008 fishing season so far. A picture of Eddie and his big "racer" pollock appears on the left. Some of his other good fish included a 14 pound cod, a 12 pound cod, a 9.5 pound pollock, an 11.5 pound pollock and a 10 pound cod. John Welch (CT) won the boat pool for the second largest fish with the second largest fish, a 20.5 pound cod. John also caught an 11.5 pound pollock, a 10 pound cod, a 12 pound pollock, a 16.5 pound cod and a 10 pound pollock. His second largest cod was the third largest fish of the trip.
Other Angler Highlights: John Castagna (CT) caught the largest haddock and the most haddock of the trip. His large haddock weighed 6.9 pounds, just under Maine state trophy size. He landed eight legal haddock. John's largest fish was a 13 pound cod. He was either second or third hook and very close in count to Justin. Mike Del Valle (CT) boated a 12.5 pound cod, his largest fish. Dom Ferrante (CT) caught an 11 pound cod and a 12 pound cod as his two best fish. Fran Kelly (CT) landed the second largest haddock of the trip at 6.25 pounds. Mark Anderson (CT) caught a 13.5 pound cod as his largest fish. Ben Barrett (CT) caught one slightly smaller at 13 pounds, his biggest. Ben, by the way, probably caught the most fish if you include sub-legal fish. He was a very busy guy. Doug Lipinsky (CT) landed the hard luck award for attaining high hurler status and getting the worst tangle of the day.
Also, I want to thank Jackie for letting Mike Nicolari (CT) sail with us on the Bunny Clark today. We are very sorry for your loss.
Jared Keniston and I ran the marathon trip today. At 2:00 AM EDT, the air temperature was 34°F (there was ice on the dock at the Cove) , the sky clear, the wind was blowing out of the northwest at fifteen knots and the visibility was excellent. We had a decent ride to the fishing grounds with the wind and seas off the starboard quarter and excellent visibility. On the grounds, the wind was blowing out of the northwest at fifteen to twenty knots with seas in chops of two to three feet, maybe slightly higher. About mid morning, the wind hauled out of the west or west northwest with the same velocity, wave type and height. After noon, the wind hauled back out of the northwest. We carried fifteen to twenty knots of northwest wind with chops of two to three feet all the way back to within eight miles of Perkins Cove. The wind kept up all the way in but the seas diminished the closer we got to shore. The sky was clear all day, the air temperature was cool and the visibility was excellent for the trip. The surface water temperature reached a high of 45.6°F on the fishing grounds. The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 51°F (with a low of 33°F) today. In Boston, Massachusetts the high was 53°F (with a low of 42°F) today. Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 50°F (with a low of 27°F) today.
The fishing was fair all morning. After noon, we started catching fish on a regular (good to very good) basis. The last three spots were excellent giving us a good day overall. Most legal fish landed (by far) were cod. Landings also included six legal haddock, two legal pollock, one cusk and two wolffish. We saw no dogfish today and very few sub-legal cod. We drift fished and anchored. Jigs caught the most fish followed closely by the cod fly. Bait didn't do much of anything today - for the first time this year.
Dan Kelley (ME) was high hook with exactly twenty legal fish. His largest fish was a 14 pound cod which he tagged and released back to the ocean alive. Dan actually tagged four legal cod and released them back to the ocean alive. His three others weighed 7 pounds, 9 pounds and 10 pounds. Bruce Goldschmitt (MA) won the boat pool for the second largest fish with the largest fish of the trip, a 53 pound Maine state trophy cod. This is the largest cod he has ever caught and is, presently, the second largest cod of the Bunny Clark fishing season. He didn't win the boat pool for the largest fish because he only entered the second biggest fish pool! A picture of Bruce and his whale cod appears on the left. Jon Griffin (MA) won the boat pool for the largest fish with the second largest fish, a 34 pound Maine state trophy cod. A digital image of Jon with his trophy appears on the right. The third largest fish was an 18.5 pound cod caught by Terry Robinson (MA). Terry also caught the fourth largest fish on the boat today, a 17 pound cod. Terry used to be one of the deck hands on that most excellent party boat out of Lynn, Massachusetts, the American Classic, owned and operated by Captain Jimmy Walsh. Terry spends most of his ground fishing days on this boat. I've only fished on the boat once (in February, fishing along side Captain Phil Eastman, Jim Feeney and "Lavjig" Dennis LaValley - I had a great time with very good fishing - great boat and crew).
Other Angler Highlights: Ray Westermann (MA) lost a steaker half way up from the bottom. His three largest fish were two cod of 12 pounds each and one of 16.5 pounds. Jackie Paskal (ME) caught a 15 pound cod and a 14.5 pound cod as her two largest fish. I think her two best fish were a wolffish of about 6 pounds and a 5 pound haddock! Chris Porter (MA) landed sixteen legal fish. His three largest were all cod, a 13 pounder, a 13.5 pounder and a cod of 11.25 pounds. Wobby Barnes (MA) boated a 10 pound cod, his largest. Dave Carlbert (CT) landed an 11 pound cod, his biggest fish, and the hard luck award for losing a jig. Larry Kabat (NH) caught a 12 pound cod as his largest fish.
I received three very generous donations supporting my fund raising efforts in the Pan-Mass Challenge, an 192 mile two day cycling event (Sturbridge, MA to P-town, MA) to help fight cancer with the Jimmy Fund on August 2nd and 3rd. Last year was the first time I had ever done this and I was so impressed with the whole operation that I decided to do it again this year. Jon Griffin donated $100.00, Dave Carlbert donated $20.00 (this makes a total of $80.00 in donations from him this season!) and Bruce Goldschcmitt donated $50.00. Thank you all very much. It's an honor to have you aboard and it's a great thing you do for the less fortunate. I very much appreciate your support.
The fishing was fair to good overall. Most legal fish landed were cod. Landings also included less legal haddock, one cusk and one wolffish. They drift fished and anchored but the current was too strong to do anything on the hook. All terminal gear worked about the same.
Butch Leclerc (ME) was high hook with ten legal fish, mostly cod. His two best ones were cod that weighed 11 pounds and 10.5 pounds. His 11 pounder was the third largest fish of the trip. Russell Mott (ME) caught the largest fish of the trip, a 19 pound cod. His second largest fish was a cod of 10 pounds. Dave Harrison (ME) won the boat pool for the largest fish with the second largest fish, a 14 pound cod. His second largest fish was a 10.5 pound cod.
Other Angler Highlights: Ron Robbins (NH) caught a 10 pound cod, his largest fish. Shawn Sullivan (NH) caught the most legal haddock with a count of five. Anthony Cooper (MA) landed the hard luck award for being the only one in the "no hook" category. Ouch!
The catching was fair to slow most of the morning with some fishing bright spots, giving me a bit of hope. After noon, we started catching fish on a regular basis which built into a slam. Although hard to believe now, looking back on it, the day turned out almost excellent overall, excellent for fish size. Most legal fish landed (by far) were cod. Landings also included eight legal haddock, fourteen legal pollock, three cusk, one legal redfish and one wolffish. We saw no dogfish again today and very few sub-legal cod. We drift fished and anchored. Jigs caught the most legal fish followed closely by the cod fly. Bait was not a very effective way of catching fish for us today.
I couldn't tell you whom was high hook. Everyone pooled their fish so it was impossible to tell. Steve Wiater won the Club pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, a 68 pound Maine state trophy cod. This is the largest cod that the Bunny Clark has seen for sixteen seasons, Steve's largest cod ever and, obviously, the largest cod of the 2008 fishing season - so far. Two of his other fish I weighed included an 11 pound cod and a 13 pound cod. He lost another big cod. Steve could have been high hook. Rick Gurney won the Club pool for the second largest fish with the second largest fish, a 50 pound Maine state trophy cod. This is the Bunny Clark's fourth largest fish/cod of the season so far and the largest cod of Rick's young life. Rick had the only double keeper pollock catch of the day. This catch consisted of an 8 pound pollock and an 11 pound pollock both on the same line at the same time. Two of his other cod weighed 10 pounds and 12 pounds. Bigs Waterman was the big surprise for the day. Never having ever been on a boat deep sea fishing before (he had never even seen a live cod before), Bigs won the Club pool for the third largest fish with the third largest fish, a 41 pound Maine state trophy cod. A picture of Bigs and his cod, with Bill Bolotin laughing in the background, appears on the right. That's not all. His second largest fish was a 37 pound Maine state trophy cod and the fourth largest fish of the trip! He went on to catch quite a few cod and threatened to go fishing on the Bunny Clark in the future! Eat your heart out, Chip Moore, you may have to fight Bigs for a seat on the next trip!
Other Angler Highlights: Al Hanson may have lost the largest fish of the day - although in light of the day's circumstances that might be a stretch. It certainly took the most line and ended up parting off before he even had the fish off the bottom. On the machine, the fish looked like a halibut but, in all fairness, the fish escaped outside the cone of sound reflection before it even left it's close proximity to the bottom. So it could have been (and most likely was) a big cod. We'll never know. Al landed a variety of good sized fish including a 23.5 pound cod, a 16 pound cod, a 10 pound pollock, a 20 pound cod, another pollock of 11 pounds and a 23 pound cod. Bill Lewis caught a 12 pound cod and an 11 pound cod, the two biggest cod of his that I weighed. Ben Barzousky caught a 12 pound pollock. His largest cod weighed 15.5 pounds. Nate Kruszyna caught a 25.5 pound Maine state trophy cod and another cod of 23.5 pounds, his two largest fish. Keith Hayden finally got past the 11.5 pound mark. He did catch two cod of 11.5 pounds (for old times sake) but his two largest cod weighed 15.5 pounds and 22 pounds. Paul "Chico" Astorino caught the largest pollock at 14 pounds, a 17 pound cod and a 13.5 pound cod, his three largest. George Sweet boated a 12 pound pollock, a 12 pound cod and a cod of 10.5 pounds, his best fish. Shawn McGrath landed his largest ever cod, a 26 pound Maine state trophy. His second largest fish was a 14 pound cod. I didn't think Sean McMahon was going to catch a thing today, the way he was going. He landed his first fish at 1:00 PM, a 13 pound cod. He went on to catch several other legal cod. Russ Gurney landed the hard luck award because I couldn't think of anyone else to give it to! Russ caught some a fish over 10 pounds that I didn't weigh. I'm pretty sure Bill Bolotin didn't catch a fish over 10 pounds but he did catch his signature haddock!
I received three donations supporting my fund raising efforts in the Pan-Mass Challenge, an 192 mile two day cycling event (Sturbridge, MA to P-town, MA) to help fight cancer with the Jimmy Fund on August 2nd and 3rd. Steve Wiater gave $50.00, Shawn McGrath gave $20.00 and Barry Juhasz gave $20.00. Thank you all so very much. I appreciate your support!
The fishing was very good but the catching of keepers was just fair. Most legal fish landed were cod. Landings also included eight legal haddock and one cusk. They drift fished and anchored. Jigs caught the most fish or should have caught the most fish (almost everyone fished with bait despite Ian's pleas to the contrary).
Chris Angell (VT) 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 14 pound cod. The cod was caught as part of a double keeper catch with another cod of 10.5 pounds on the same line at the same time. This is the Bunny Clark's second largest double keeper catch of the season so far, a half pound shy of tying this years top mark. The second and third largest fish were both caught by the same angler, Paul Branconnier (MA). Paul boated a 12.5 pound cod and a 12 pound cod.
Other Angler Highlights: John Bishop (VT) caught a 10.5 pound cod, his best fish. Ismial Rosario (MA) landed the hard luck award for getting a touch of the mal de mer.
My son, Micah, and I started to set lobster gear today. We set a load and loaded up the Petrel with twenty more before I had to attend to my managerial duties at my favorite restaurant, Barnacle Billy's.
I found a secret sponsor (supporting my ride in the Pan-Mass Challenge) on line today when I checked my deposit total against the total donation count at the PMC page. Lo and behold, I found that Hez & Johanna Haseltine had donated $200.00 toward my part in the ride that both Hez and I are going to participate in together! Now, granted, Jo is planning on staying at the business and watching the restaurant (they own 98 Provence, the nicest restaurant in York County - specializing in French cuisine in an unique atmosphere that makes me wish I had more time to dine out!) but to also donate to my cause specifically? Hez and I have been pretty much best friends for years and our two families share a similar relationship enough so that my kids feel we are all related. And, in fact, I feel that way too. In this PMC thing, everyone is a winner. Thank you very much Hez & Jo, you got me on this one!
By the way, if anyone is interested in donating on line at the Pan-Mass Challenge page and pay by credit card, you can donate to my cause specifically by using my egift number which is TT0093. This method is preferred by many because it saves so much time. And, of course, some people feel the element of surprise is worth it!
The fishing and catching was very good overall thanks to an excellent long drift, the last stop of the day. Most legal fish landed were cod in the 8 to 10 pound size range. There were so many 10 pounders that I had to stop weighing them as it was taking too much time and the figure became unremarkable. How soon we forget! Landings also included fourteen legal haddock, ten legal pollock, four legal redfish, one cusk, two sea ravens and one wolffish. Most of the day was spent drifting but we did anchor three different times. Jigs caught the most fish by far.
I couldn't tell you whom was high hook. I should qualify that statement. I know who was high hook but I couldn't tell you how many fish he caught. It was Jeff Smith who seemed to have a fish on all the time all day long. He probably didn't have a fish on all the time but, compared to everyone else, he did the best. His count was well over fifteen legal fish. There were actually quite a few anglers who hit the fifteen mark. Jeff's largest fish was a 13 pound cod but he also landed three cod of 10 pounds, an 11 pound cod and a 12 pound cod. Rodney Miller won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, a 17 pound cod. The only other fish of his that I weighed was a cod of 12 pounds. Lee Dykas won the boat pool for the second largest fish with the second largest fish, a 16.5 pound pollock. Lee caught several cod of 10 pounds that I didn't weigh. Ron Anderson caught the third largest fish, a 16 pound cod.
Other Angler Highlights: Dennis Pietro lost the biggest fish of the day. I was looking for a steaker and Dennis was my only hope. He would have caught it on the cod fly but it bit through the monofilament. You could see the teeth marks on the line about an inch up. This was reconfirmed by the signature on the sounding machine. I was certainly sorry he blew it, I can tell you that! Dennis did, however, boat a Maine state trophy fish, a haddock of 7.25 pounds. His picture with this magnificent fish appears on the left. Pete Daige caught the second largest haddock at 6 pounds. His largest fish was a 13.5 pound wolffish, the largest wolffish of the Bunny Clark fishing season so far. Rob Provost caught a 13 pound pollock, a 12 pound pollock and a 12 pound cod, his three best fish. Doug Maki caught five cod that weighed exactly 10 pounds each. He also caught two double keeper catches (two fish on the same line at the same time). One catch included a 9.5 pound pollock and an 11.5 pound pollock. His other catch included an 8 pound cod and an 11 pound cod. Shane Anderson caught an 11.5 pound cod. I'm not sure if this was his biggest cod or not as he caught a few in the 10 pound range. Rick Pileggi caught at least two cod of 10 pounds each and two cod of 11 pounds each. Dave Miller boated a 13 pound cod as his largest fish ("Good table fare."). The knot tying his line to the jig untied on the surface with a legal cod during one of our better drifts of the day. Rick caught this jig and the legal fish about ten minutes later! I weighed four fish for Jim Small, all cod. They weighed 12, 10, 13 and 14 pounds. Tony Usher boated a 14 pound cod as his largest fish. Nick Guerra caught at least three legal haddock. His largest cod weighed a bit over 10 pounds. Kevin Swift was the high hurler of the day and won a prize for it!
On the ride in we caught a young humpback whale "tail lobbing" on the surface about twelve miles off Perkins Cove. We stopped to take a closer look. The video appears below.
Tail Lobbing Humpback May 5, 2008 |
The fishing was just fair today. The bite was off probably because of the very calm seas, no drift, bright sunny clear skies and the new moon. At any rate, landings included thirty-two legal cod, nine legal haddock, two legal redfish, two cusk and a wolffish. They drift fished all day. Jigs worked the best.
Ray Johnson (NH) was the fisherman of the day. He was high hook with ten legal fish and he won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, a 17.5 pound cod. Ray's second largest fish was another cod of 10.5 pounds. Ed Martin (ME) and Scott Menz (NY) caught the second and third largest fish. Actually, both fish weighed 11 pounds each, two cod.
Other Angler Highlights: Greg Johnson (NH) caught seven legal fish for second hook. Ed Clark (NY) caught a 10.5 pound cod, one of the bigger fish of the day. Dave "Duke" Symes (ME) landed the hard luck award for not catching a single legal fish.
Dave & Rebecca Symes gave me a very generous $100.00 donation supporting my ride in the Pan-Mass Challenge today. The ride is a cycling event that leaves from Sturbridge, Massachusetts on August 2, 2008 and ends in Provincetown, Massachusetts on August 3, 2008. The event raises money to fight cancer (prevention & cure) through the Jimmy Fund for the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Last year's event raised 33 million dollars and I was proud to be a part of it. I appreciate all the money that so many unselfish individuals have donated. Thank you very much, Dave & Rebecca, I can't thank you enough!
Except for two spots (one anchor stop and one drift), the day would have been slow for catching legal fish. We had a good anchor stop on haddock in the morning and an excellent drift on cod in the afternoon. I was unable to duplicate either spot a second time in a "like" area (or any other area). Everybody ended the day with some legal fish but parity reigned among anglers. It was a good day overall. Most legal fish landed for the trip were cod. Landings also included twenty-six legal haddock, twenty-eight cusk, four legal pollock to 12 pounds, a few mackerel (our first of the season), two sea ravens, a few herring and one wolffish. We anchored and drift fished. Jigs caught the lion's share of fish but bait did the best on the haddock.
I couldn't tell you whom was high hook but I do know that Dan Kelley (ME) had the highest accurate figure with ten keepers. Many anglers were close. Dan's largest fish was a 12 pound cod. Ed Gray (VT) and Steve Lenox (NY) tied for second hook with nine keepers each. Ed caught the most legal haddock with a count of five. Steve's largest fish was a cod of 11 pounds. Many anglers caught seven or eight legal; someone might have had more than ten. John Fisher (NY) won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, a 15.25 pound cod. There was a tie for the second largest fish boat pool. Both Tim Williams (CT) and Kyle Gaines (VT) caught a 15 pound cod each. They split the winnings. Tim tagged and released his 15 pound cod back to the ocean alive. Tim also caught the largest pollock, a 12 pounder. Kyle's second and third largest fish were a 12 pound cod and a 9 pound cod. He led the boat pool for most of the day with the 9 pounder. Tim caught eight legal fish total. Kyle caught seven or eight.
Other Angler Highlights: Captain Ed Clark (NY) caught the largest haddock, a 7 pound Maine state trophy. His picture with said fish appears on the right. It was short and very fat having a caliper fork length of only twenty-five inches! He could have landed more legal fish than Dan Kelley. Steve LaPlantaine (CT) caught the second largest haddock at 6 pounds. His four largest fish included a 10 pound cod, a 12.5 pound cod, a 14 pound cod and a 10.5 pound cod. He released two legal cod back to the ocean alive. He boated at least nine keepers. Bill Larocque (RI) caught only one legal fish (low hook!), an 8 pound cod. Dan Killay (VT) boated a 13 pound cod as his largest fish. He also caught a nice haddock that looked to be about 4 to 5 pounds. Dave Gray (VT) caught seven legal fish. His largest haddock weighed 5 pounds, the third largest haddock of the day and the longest haddock of the day. His largest fish was a 12 pound cod. Pat Collins (NY) won the hard luck award for no other reason than I became most agitated (when the bite was on) around a tangle that he was involved in. He really didn't deserve it but I couldn't think of a good reason to give it to anyone else!
Steve Lenox donated $25.00 toward my involvement in helping solve the cancer problems of the world (starting in New England with the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute) with the Pan-Mass Challenge. Thank you, Captain Steve. I apprecaite your thoughfulness (and support) very much.
Barnacle Billy's, Etc. (our other restaurant - both side by side in Perkins Cove) opens for business tomorrow evening at 5:00 PM. I've had a unique insiders view of the place and I can tell you that it's going to be something special this season. Be there or be square!
Captain Ian Keniston and Jared Keniston ran the extreme day trip today. At 5:00 AM EDT, the air temperature was 53°F, the sky was overcast, it was raining lightly, the wind was blowing out of the south at ten to twelve knots and the visibility was good as far as I could tell. On the fishing grounds, the wind blew from the southwest at fifteen knots or more with seas in chops of two to four feet. They had light rain in the morning followed by clearing skies in the afternoon. The air temperature was mild (hot ashore with temperatures reaching 81°F by 2:00 PM) and the visibility was about three to five miles in haze. The surface water temperature reached a high of 49.8°F (again) on the fishing grounds. The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 79°F (with a low of 52°F) today. In Boston, Massachusetts the high was 77°F (with a low of 57°F) today. Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 80°F (with a low of 52°F) today.The fishing was good overall. To me, this was surprising as the mobility was down and anchoring takes much more time. He's a good captain, that Ian! Most legal fish landed were cod. Landings also included six legal haddock, one legal pollock, three legal redfish, four cusk, a few mackerel and one large monkfish. They anchored for every stop. Jigs caught the most fish but many continued to use bait.
Bobby MacDonald (CT) was high hook with the most legal fish, count between eight and eleven fish. Dan Hatfield (CT) won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, a 30 pound Maine state trophy monkfish. A picture taken by Captain Ian showing Dan and his monk appears on the left. The second largest fish was a 13.5 pound cod caught by Wayne Beauregard (CT). He also caught the fourth largest fish, a 12 pound cod. Greg Kelley (CT) landed the third largest fish, a 13 pound cod. Mike Nowosielski (CT) landed the hard luck award for being the high hurler of the trip.
The opening at Barnacle Billy's, Etc. restaurant went very well. Many regulars attended and all were very happy that we were open again. Plus, the warm summer-like temperatures allowing patrons to dine around the garden with all the spring flowers didn't hurt either.
