Bunny Clark Fishing Update
Written & Edited by Tim Tower
Thursday, June 20, 2019, 3:00 AM EDT
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At 3:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 49°F, the sky was clear, the wind was blowing out of the west at fifteen knots and the visibility over the ocean was very good to excellent.
A dark path lay ahead of us as we traveled down the outer channel of Perkins Cove, into the outer Cove and through the gate. We had a bit of a west wind but we didn't see much of a chop until we got out about five miles. Wind speeds were ten knots or more out of the west. The visibility was excellent. The air temperature was 51°F for the whole ride out to the fishing grounds.
On the grounds, the wind blew out of the west all morning. We had ten to fifteen knots of wind to start with seas of about two feet, more or less. As the time progressed, the wind velocity decreased We had hardly any wind at all by noon. The ocean was fairly calm. That didn't last as the wind hauled out of the southwest and increased slightly. The wind stayed out of the southwest for the rest of the day and the whole ride home. Wind speeds were no more than ten knots. The sky was cloudless all morning, mostly sunny in the afternoon. The air temperature reached a high of 55°F. The visibility ranged to thirty miles or so. The tide (current) was moderate to strong. The surface water temperature reached a high of 49.8°F. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 72°F with a low of 54°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 68°F (with a low of 38°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 68°F (with a low of 47°F).
The fishing and conditions were good to very good, despite the stronger than normal current (new moon). The catching was good at best. Most legal fish landed were haddock, the cull percentage about 55/45, favoring the legal sized fish. We stayed with the Federal size limit on haddock today. So if a haddock was seventeen inches, that fish was kept. Legal landings also included a couple of herring, twenty pollock, forty-seven big redfish, twelve cusk, a whiting and several mackerel. Released fish included forty-nine cod from 5 to 11 pounds, almost as many smaller cod, forty-five small pollock, a dogfish and a couple of redfish. We rotated between drifting and anchoring. Both had their benefits. Bait worked best.
I couldn't tell you who was high hook today. The fishing was very steady by all who participated. Chris Tankred (OH) won the boat pool for the largest with the largest fish, a 13.5 pound pollock. He caught this fish on the last stop. His first fish of the trip was a 3 pound haddock. Later in the day he led the boat pool with a 10 pound cod. The second largest fish of the trip was an 11 pound cod caught by Matt Baringer (PA). He did not enter the boat pools. Matt also caught a 7.5 pound cod and an 8.5 pound cod. Steve Selmer (NH) won the boat pool for the second largest fish with the third largest fish, a 10.25 pound cusk. Two other fish of his that I weighed included a 5.25 pound haddock and a 3 pound haddock. The bigger haddock was the largest haddock of the trip. I took a picture of Steve holding his haddock. This digital image appears on the left.
We had a couple of porbeagle shark attacks today. One of the sharks got on and off a line quickly. The other one was hooked and fought by Paul Chontofalsky (PA) for a good ten minutes. He eventually lost this shark because the shark gapped the fly that it was hooked by. Even if the fly had stayed in the fish, the line would have chaffed enough to break off had he fought it for much longer. I gave Paul the hard luck award for his loss. Paul's largest fish was a pollock that weighed 8.5 pounds.
Steve LaPlante (CT) caught the largest redfish that I have seen in quite some time, a Maine state trophy. The fish was "spawned out" and would have weighed much more had it not been. The fish was eighteen inches caliper fork length, the longest redfish I can remember, with a girth of fourteen inches. The fish only weighed 3.5 pounds. I had to re-check the scale. I can't imagine how much that fish could have weighed even a month ago. I took a picture of Steve with his redfish. This digital image appears on the right. This is the largest redfish caught on the Bunny Clark this season and last, so far. He also caught two other Maine state trophy redfish. One weighed 2.5 pounds. The other weighed 2 pounds. Some of his cod weighed 5.5, 9.5, 9 and 7.5 pounds. His largest pollock weighed 10 pounds.
Other Angler Highlights: Jeff Tankred (PA) caught a 4 pound haddock, one of the first fish I weighed today. His largest fish was a 7.5 pound cod. Andrew Kerns (NY) caught the first weighable pollock at 4.5 pounds.His largest fish was an 8 pound cod. Caleb Zellers (PA) caught a 3.5 pound haddock, his best haddock. He also caught the largest redfish double I have ever seen. One weighed 2.75 pounds, the other weighed 3 pounds, both fish caught on the same line at the same time. His 3 pound redfish is tied for the second largest redfish of the Bunny Clark fishing season. Caleb's largest fish was a 9 pound cod. Bill Suelke (PA) caught two notable fish today, a 2.75 pound Maine state trophy redfish and a 3 pound Maine state trophy redfish. Bill's big redfish, of course, tied with Caleb's for the second largest Bunny Clark redfish of the season. I took a picture of Bill holding his redfish while sitting on the bench seat. This digital image appears on the lower left.
Tim Pedersen (MA) might have caught the most haddock of the trip. His largest fish was a 6 pound cod. Dewey Kerns (PA) caught a 5.25 pound cod, his largest fish. He also caught some near trophy redfish. DeVaughn Tyndall (PA) caught a 3 pound Maine state trophy redfish, again, a tie for the second largest redfish of the Bunny Clark season so far. His largest fish was a 7 pound cod that I lost at the side of the boat as it wasn't hooked very well. Had the fish been legal to keep, I would have gaffed it. At the time, this cod would have been the leader in the boat pool for the biggest fish. Carl Tankred (PA) caught an 8.25 pound cod and a 7.75 pound cod, his two largest fish. Dan Snow (OH) caught a 9.5 pound cod.
I was blessed in receiving many donations today towards my involvement in the Pan-Mass Challenge, a cycling event to raise money for cancer research. Those donors and their gifts are as follows: Tim Pedersen (MA) for $25.00, an anonymous donation of $20.00, a generous $100.00 from Charlie Tankred (OH), Chris Tankred for $40.00, Bill "Bruce" Kelson (MA) for $25.00, Ed & Phyllis LaPlante (MA) for a generous $100.00 and Gloria Gennari (MA) for $50.00. Thank you all so very much for your generosity, your help, your support (of me in this project) and your kindness. This is very much appreciated by me but, more so, by those individuals who are hopeful for a cure.
At 5:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 51°F, the sky was overcast, it had been raining an hour earlier, the wind was blowing out of the west at fifteen knots and the visibility over the ocean was very good to excellent. Ashore, the wind died at sunrise and became light and variable. The sky was clear all morning and through the early part of the afternoon. The wind became established out of the east at about 1:00 PM. But it never blew very hard. The sky became overcast by 4:00 PM and remained so into the night. The ocean along the shore was calm. The visibility was very good, ten miles or better. The highest air that I saw in Perkins Cove was 65°F but I bet it was higher than that. It felt like 70°F at one point. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 84°F with a low of 61°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 77°F (with a low of 50°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 65°F (with a low of 51°F).
On the fishing grounds, the wind was light and variable in direction all day. The ocean was calm over a two to four foot long left over chop/swell. The air temperature reached a high of 60°F. The visibility ranged from five to ten miles in haze. The tide (current) was light to moderate. The sky was mostly overcast with a short sunny period. The surface water temperature reached a high of 52°F.
The fishing conditions, the fishing and the catching for half of the trip was excellent. Overall, the catching was very good to excellent. Most of the day was a fish a cast. Most legal fish landed were haddock, by far. The haddock cull was three to one, favoring the legal haddock. In other words, for every four haddock caught, three were legal to keep. Legal landings also included twelve pollock and six cusk. Released fish included forty-five cod of 5 to 22 pounds, a handful of smaller cod and pollock and one wolffish. They drift fished all day. The drift was perfect. All terminal gear worked well.
Dick Carpenter was high hook with the most legal fish. His largest was a 13.5 pound cod. Bill Bolotin (MA) won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, a 22 pound cod. Ian took a picture of Bill holding his steaker before releasing it alive. This digital image appears on the right. This cod ties for the Bunny Clark's largest cod of the fishing season to date. John Russell (ME) caught a 22 pounder as well, a couple of weeks ago. Bill also caught a 14 pound cod, an 11 pound cod and a cod that weighed 10 pounds. The second largest fish was a 20 pound cod caught by Tom Nazzewski (MA). Tom caught the largest pollock at 10.5 pounds. He also caught a cod that weighed 15.5 pounds, the fourth largest fish of the trip. John Mayol (ME) caught the third largest fish, a 16 pound cod.
Other Angler Highlights: Rick Gurney (MA) caught a 12 pound cod, his largest fish. His largest haddock weighed 4.5 pounds, the second largest haddock of the trip. George Sweet (MA) caught the largest haddock of the trip at 5 pounds. Some of his other good fish included a 14.5 pound cod, a 9 pound cod and a 12 pound cod. Gloria Gennari (MA) caught two cod of 13 pounds each. Mike Kruszyna (MA) caught a 13.5 pound cod and an 11 pound cod, his two best. Sean McMahon (MA) boated and released two cod of 12 pounds each and a cod that weighed 10 pounds. Bill Lewis (MA) caught a 12 pound cod. Ben Mayol (ME) caught an 11 pound cod. Max Bialas (MA) caught an 11 pound cod. Al Hanson (MA) caught the fifth largest fish of the trip, a 15 pound cod.
I received several donations sponsoring me in my quest for a cancer free world through my participation in the Pan-Mass Challenge. These donors and their gifts included Jody Goff (MA) for $25.00, Bill Lewis for $30.00, George Sweet for a generous $50.00, Mike Kruszyuna for $25.00 and Todd Krutiak (MA) for $25.00. Thank you all for your support and generosity. It always amazes me how many come to the plate when help is needed. Much appreciated!
At 3:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 53°F, the sky was overcast, it was pouring rain, there was zero wind and the visibility over the ocean seemed fair to poor in precipitation and fog.
The pouring rain was annoying as I was getting the Bunny Clark ready to sail But the air temperature was mild and there was no wind. The trip out of the Cove was fairly easy as there was enough visibility to not have to rely totally on the electronics. I was surprised how calm it was once out the gate. There was a bit of a long rolling two or three foot swell out of the southeast. But the ocean's surface was very smooth. Not a breath of wind. The visibility, near as I could tell, was about three to five miles in light fog, haze and precipitation. Half way to the fishing grounds, the rain stopped. We never had another drop of rain until we stopped at our destination.
On the fishing grounds, the wind was very light out of the southwest. An hour later, the wind hauled out of north. A while later, the wind hauled out of the northeast. Wind speeds never got more than six knots. The wind left us during the early afternoon. The ocean became flat calm. We had light southeast wind following us home. It rained most of the morning. The first half of the morning also had thick fog. And it rained most of the morning. We lost the rain and the fog after noon. By 1:00 PM, the sky became mostly clear. The visibility had improved to fifteen miles or better. The air temperature reached a high of 60°F. The tide (current) was moderate to strong. The surface water temperature reached a high of 51.4°F. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 78°F with a low of 64°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 79°F (with a low of 52°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 76°F (with a low of 54°F).
The fishing, the conditions and the catching were good overall. We did better in the afternoon. But I believe that that was just because of a change in venue. Most legal fish landed were haddock, by far. This has certainly been the year of the haddock so far. The haddock cull was about two to one, legal to sub-legal haddock. Legal landings also included twelve pollock, three redfish and six cusk. Released fish included forty-one cod from 5 to 17 pounds, about as many smaller cod, twenty-one sub-legal pollock, five sculpins and one wolffish. We didn't lose any halibut or porbeagle sharks. We drift fished and anchored. All terminal gear worked about the same.
I couldn't tell you who was high hook today. There were six anglers I could have chosen. And if you included cod in the mix, it would have been even more difficult. Kevin Viel (NH) won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, a 17 pound cod. He also caught the third largest fish, a 14 pound cod. Jason Kenyon (NY) won the boat pool for the second largest fish with the second largest fish, a 15 pound cod. Some of Jason's other fish included a 7.5 pound cod, an 11 pound cod, a 9 pound cod, an 8.5 pound cod, a 10 pound cod and a double that included a 10 pound cod and an 11 pound cod, both fish on the same line at the same time.
Other Angler Highlights: George "The Terrible Tangler" Smart (NY) caught the only wolffish. It weighed 6.5 pounds. Jim Quinney (NH) caught a 6 pound pollock early this morning. His largest fish was an 11.25 pound cod. Jim's best fish were two haddock of 5 pounds each. Moose Monahan (NY) caught a 13 pound cod, his largest fish. He also caught a 9 pound cod and a 5.5 pound pollock. Shawn Lafferty (NY) caught the largest pollock of the trip at 10 pounds. His largest fish was a 13.5 pound cod. His best haddock weighed 4 pounds. Bruce Kenyon (NY) caught a 9.75 pound cod and a 5 pound haddock, his two best fish. Rich Kiblin (NY) caught the best double. His double included an 11 pound cod and a 13 pound cod. This is the second largest double caught on the Bunny Clark this season to date. He had caught a 7.5 pound cod earlier in the trip. Brad Smart (NY) caught the largest haddock he has ever caught. It weighed 6 pounds. He also caught a 4 pound haddock. Bob Gervasio (NY) caught a 10 pound cod, his biggest fish today. Tom Perry (NY) landed the hard luck award. The fog seemed to sap the equilibrium out of his body. He spent a fair amount of time in the Hotel Bunny Clark.
More donations came in today supporting my ride in the Pan-Mass Challenge, a cycling event to raise money for cancer research. Those donors and their donations included Mike LoFaro (NY) for a generous $50.00, John Epolito for $4.00, George Smart for $2.00 and Kevin Viel for a very generous $120.00. It's so nice to have the generous support of those around you. Thank you so very much!
At 5:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 52°F, the sky was cloudless, there was no wind, the ocean was mirror calm and the visibility over the ocean was very good. Ashore, there was no wind to start. The ocean remained glassy for the first half of the morning, light and variable in direction for the second half and light out of the south in the afternoon. The sky was cloudless in the morning and mostly clear in the afternoon. The air temperature reached a high, that I saw, in Perkins Cove of 65°F thanks to a sea breeze. The visibility was very good. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 72°F with a low of 64°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 81°F (with a low of 45°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 73°F (with a low of 50°F).
On the fishing grounds, the wind was light and variable. The ocean was calm. The air temperature reached a high of 62°F. The visibility ranged to over twenty miles. The sky was clear. The tide (current) was moderate. The sky was sunny all day. The surface water temperature reached a high of 53°F.
The fishing and the conditions for fishing were nearly excellent. The catching was good to very good overall. Most legal fish landed were haddock, by far. The cull was 55/45 favoring the legal sized haddock. Legal landings also included fourteen pollock, six redfish and nine cusk. Released fish included four cod from 6 to 8.5 pounds, a few small cod and pollock and three wolffish. Drifting was the method. Bait worked best.
Fritz Heckel (NH) was high hook with the most legal fish. Bruce Randall (NY) won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, a 12 pound wolffish. The second largest fish was an 8.5 pound cod caught by Shawn Lafferty (NY). John Russell (ME) caught the third largest fish, an 8 pound Maine state trophy haddock! This is the Bunny Clark's largest haddock of the fishing season to date. And, likely, it could be the largest haddock of the season, looking at past seasons. Ian took a picture of John and his prize. This digital image appears on the left. John also caught an 8 pound cod.
Other Angler Highlights: Dan Vitalis (ME) caught a 5 pound haddock and a 7 pound wolffish, his two biggest fish. Sonny Peabody (MA) caught a 6 pound cod. Bruce Kenyon (NY) caught a 6 pound cod. Gary Sliwicki (IL) landed the hard luck award for getting the most tangled lines of the trip. Well, he wasn't sea sick!
Another gift was passed on to me sponsoring my ride with the Pan-Mass Challenge in the search for a cure for cancer, cancer research specifically. The donor was long time supporter, Stephen Guilmet for $25.00. Steve has sponsored me since I started this endeavor in 2007. Thank you so much, Steve. Very thoughtful of you. Hope to see you on the Bunny Clark again some day.
On the fishing grounds, the wind was light and variable all during the fishing and light southeast on the ride home. The wind never blew more than five knots. The ocean's surface was calm. The air temperature reached a high of 64°F, the highest air temperature we have seen this season to date. The tide (current) was moderate. The visibility ranged to over twenty miles. The sky was clear and sunny. The highest surface water temperature that Ian saw was 55°F, the warmest value so far this season.
All during the trip they were involved in a whale show. There were dolphins, several species of other whales and acrobatics galore. Humpback whale were breaching. Dophins were flipping in the air. There were fins and tails everywhere. Most aboard had never seen such a thing. And there is probably one chance in a hundred that you might see as good a show on a whale watch boat. It was something else.
The fishing was excellent, the conditions were excellent and the catching was very good. The interesting thing about today, though, was that there were no other fish landed but haddock today. And the fish were small. The haddock cull was 50/50 legal to sub-legal fish. There were no other legal fish caught. But there were a lot of haddock caught. Released fish included a few small cod, a few small pollock, no cod over 4.5 pounds and one wolffish, the largest fish of the day. The wolffish, about 12 pounds, never was weighed on the scale as the fish fell off the hook when it was being lifted into the boat. They drift fished and anchored. Bait was best.
Mike McKaig (NY) was high hook with the most legal fish. Barry Ano (NY) won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, a 4.5 pound cod. He also caught a 4 pound cod, a tie for the second largest fish if the trip. Spencer McKaig (NY) landed the hard luck award for losing the wolffish on the surface. With the loss, so went the boat pool!
I ended my day yesterday before midnight waiting for my son to come back to Perkins Cove on the end of a string. He broke down (lost his steering) twenty miles from shore. He couldn't get the slave off the quadrant over the rudder so he got a tow in from Steve Weiner and Chris Weiner, friends and good tuna fishermen working in the same area that Micah was working in. I got to bed at 1:00 AM this morning. I started work again at 4:00 AM, updating this web site so I could help Micah with the problem after I saw the Bunny Clark off the dock and got the order sheets ready at the restaurant. We ended up taking the vane pump out of the power steering system to get it fixed or replaced. That took me until 9:00 AM. Micah ended up down at Rose Marine in Gloucester where the work will be completed on Monday. In the meantime, he missed a perfect tuna day. I felt bad for him. He has worked the hardest with the least results so far. Ahhh, boats!
I received a nice gift, a donation, supporting my cancer cure habit with the Pan-Mass Challenge. This will be the thirteenth season that I have worked trying to raise donations to fight cancer. The donation, $30.00, was from that excellent fisherman, Barry Ano. Thank you very much, Barry. The pickles were just the kind I like and we are still eating the apples! All the best!
At 5:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 48°F, the sky was cloudless again, the wind was light out of the northeast, the ocean was calm and the visibility over it was excellent. The weather was beautiful all day today ashore. The air temperature got up to 68°F. We had a light sea breeze from the south in the afternoon following a very calm morning and calm seas along the shore. The sky was clear, nearly cloudless, all day. The visibility was excellent. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 75°F with a low of 56°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 80°F (with a low of 43°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 72°F (with a low of 47°F).
On the fishing grounds, the wind blew out of the south at five to seven knots. Seas were less than a foot in chops. The air temperature reached a high of 64°F. The sky was clear and sunny all day. The visibility ranged to over twenty miles. The tide (current) was moderate. The surface water temperature reached a high of 55°F.
The conditions for fishing were excellent, the fishing was excellent and landings were very good. Most legal fish landed were haddock, again, by far. The haddock cull was 50/50 or one legal haddock for every two caught. Legal landings also included two pollock, eighteen cusk and one monkfish. Released fish included twelve cod from 5 to 12 pounds, a few small cod/pollock and three wolffish. They drift fished for the whole trip. All terminal gear worked well but bait was best for the haddock.
Joe Columbus (MA) came out with high hook status for his second trip in a row. He caught the most legal fish today. Tom Zido (NY) won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, a 12 pound cod. Tiffanny Steward (OH) caught the second and third largest fish of the trip. Those fish were an 11 pound cod and an 8 pound cod.
Other Angler Highlights: Ross Steward (OH) caught a 6 pound cusk, his biggest fish. Shannon O'Neil (NH) caught the largest haddock at 4 pounds. Josh Neil (ME) caught a 7.5 pound cusk, the largest cusk of the trip. Cindy Columbus (MA) caught the second largest haddock of the trip with one that weighed 3.5 pounds. Derek Hoover (ME) landed the hard luck award for breaking his own pole. I wasn't give the details on this event!
I received two generous donations funding my donation quest with the Pan-Mass Challenge today. Ray Washburn (VT), a long time Bunny Clark angler and supporter in my cancer cause, donated $100.00 while Michael & Kerry (MA), loyal long time Barnacle Billy's patrons and supporters in my cancer cause, gave $100.00 as well. Thank you all for you help, your generosity and kindness. It means a lot to me but it means so much more to those trying to solve the cancer riddle and those fighting the disease themselves!
At 5:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 55°F, the sky was very clear with few clouds, the wind was blowing a steady twelve knots out of the south southwest and the visibility over the ocean was excellent. Ashore, the wind blew out of the south southwest for most of the day, hauling out of the south late in the afternoon. Wind speeds ranged from ten to twelve knots. The sky was very clear but not as clear, or cloudless, as it was the last two days. High thin cirrus clouds showed up in the afternoon giving us a smurry sun and soft lighting. The air temperature rose to 75°F in Perkins Cove, held back a little by the sea breeze. The visibility was excellent. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 74°F with a low of 58°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 81°F (with a low of 51°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 78°F (with a low of 55°F).
On the fishing grounds, the wind blew out of the southwest at five to ten knots. Seas were chops of one foot or less. The air temperature reached a high of 60°F. The visibility ranged to over twenty miles. The tide (current) was moderate. The sky was a mix of sun and high clouds. The surface water temperature reached a high of 52°F.
The fishing was excellent, the conditions were excellent and the fishing was good to very good overall. In the morning, the fishing was excellent, a fish a drop as fast as you could catch them. After the tide turned, the fishing went right to fair. Most legal fish landed were haddock, by far. The haddock cull was 60/40, favoring the sub-legal haddock, the first trip where more sub-legal haddock were caught than legal sized haddock. Legal landings also included seven pollock, three redfish, seven cusk and two whiting. Released fish included a few small cod, a few small pollock and one wolffish. Drifting was the method. It was a perfect drift. Bait worked best.
Barry Ano (NY), that excellent fisherman, was high hook with the most legal fish. There was no question! He never did get a fish large enough to weigh. But, to his credit, there weren't any big fish caught. Alex Smith (FL) won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, a 7 pound wolffish. The second largest fish was a 5 pound pollock caught by Marty Buskey (NY). Larry Smith (FL) caught the third largest fish, a 4 pound haddock. Curt Bartlett (NY) landed the hard luck award for the least number of legal fish.
Marty & Elise Buskey) donated $25.00 to sponsor me for the third time this year in the Pan-Mass Challenge, a cycling event to fight cancer with the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, Massachusetts. Marty & Elise donate many times in a year and it usually adds up to more than the single donations I receive from others. It's good for me because I feel like I am getting a gift every time Marty shows up! I do appreciate their generosity! Thank you so much, again!
At 3:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 58°F, the sky was overcast, it was raining, the wind was blowing out of the southeast at less than ten knots and the visibility over the ocean was fair to poor in precipitation, fog and haze.
It rained when I woke up, it rained while getting ready to prep the boat, it rained while getting everyone ready, it rained all the way to the fishing grounds, it rained all morning and into the afternoon. There was no fog when we headed down the channel and out the gate. The visibility wasn't great but it wasn't bad either. The wind was blowing out of the southeast but only about fifteen knots or maybe a little more. We had six foot seas out of the southeast but we had the wind and seas on our beam, my first run downeast this season. The air temperature was mild.
On the fishing grounds, the wind blew out of the south southeast most of the morning. Seas were six feet on average but it was more of a swell with a one or two foot chop on top. The wind hung around fifteen knots but, you could tell, it was backing off gradually. By noon, the wind was blowing out of the southwest at ten knots. The sky was also starting to clear at that time. By 3:00 PM, the wind hauled out of the northwest. We had fog all morning with a visibility, at most, of a mile. After the northwest wind showed up, we had twenty miles or more. The rain had stopped by 2:00 PM. By 1:00 PM, we had very little wind with a calmish surface over a rolling chop swell of about six feet more or less. The wind remained light out of the northwest all the way back to Perkins Cove. The air temperature hovered around 55°F to 58°F all morning but rose to a value of 63°F by mid afternoon. The tide (current) was moderate and counter to the wind and seas. The surface water temperature reached a high 57°F after staying at 50°F to 53°F all morning. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 79°F with a low of 63°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 75°F (with a low of 55°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 72°F (with a low of 56°F).
The fishing and the conditions were fair to good in the morning, excellent in the afternoon. The catching was fair to poor almost all morning, except for the catch of sub-legal pollock, which were plenty. The catching of bigger fish in the afternoon was good. For a marathon trip, it was a fair catch overall. Most legal fish landed were haddock but it was our lowest haddock catch of the season to this point. The haddock cull was exactly two to one. In other words, for every three haddock caught, two were of legal size to keep. Legal landings also included twenty-five pollock, six mackerel, four cusk, a redfish and two herring. Released fish included thirty-six cod from 5 to 16 pounds, more cod that were smaller, over a hundred sub-legal pollock, two sculpins and two wolffish. We alternated between drifting and anchoring. All terminal gear worked but bait was best for haddock.
I have no idea who was high hook with the most legal fish. It could have been Dave Miller (MA) or Shane Anderson (MA) or it could have been someone else. Dave Miller won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, a 16 pound cod. This is a tie for the Bunny Clark's seventh largest cod of the season to date. Dave also caught the biggest double of the day. His double included a 13 pound cod and a 6 pound cod, both fish caught on the same line at the same time. The 13 pound cod was the third largest fish of the trip. Shane Anderson won the boat pool for the second largest fish with the second largest fish, a 13.5 pound cod. Shane caught about ten cod of 5 pounds or better. Some of his other cod weighed 9 pounds, 8 pounds and 5.5 pounds.
Other Angler Highlights: Jeff Smith (MA) started the boat pool off this morning with a 5 pound cod. That, obviously, didn't last. He caught the largest pollock of the trip with one that weighed 8.5 pounds. Jim Higgins (MA) caught a 7 pound cod, his biggest fish. But he was upstaged by his son, James, who gave his father an awful drubbing in fish count. I never did weigh the cusk that James caught but it had to weigh at least 7 pounds. This was James' first deep sea fishing trip. Pete Daige (MA) caught the most legal haddock with a count of fourteen. He was the only angler using a bait rig. Other anglers caught haddock with baited flies. Pete's largest fish was an 11 pound cod. But he also caught the largest cusk at 10 pounds and the largest haddock of the trip at 4 pounds. Rob Provost (MA) caught the largest wolffish, an 11 pounder. Rob's largest cod weighed 10.25 pounds. Ron Anderson (MA) caught a 12,5 pound cod, his largest fish of the trip. Dennis Pietro (NH) caught an 8 pound cod, his largest fish. He also landed the hard luck award t-shirt for getting into the most tangles.
I received three donations today helping me to fight cancer with the Pan-Mass Challenge. The donors and their donations are as follows: Lynn Welsch (NM) for a generous $50.00 "egift" through the PMC web site, Dennis Pietro for a generous $50.00 gift and Dave Miller for $25.00 his "traditional" donation. Thank you all so very much for your help and support. I do very much appreciate this!
On the fishing grounds, the wind blew out of the south at five knots or less all day. The ocean was calm with no swell. The air temperature reached a high of 61°F. The visibility ranged over twenty miles. The tide (current) was strong. The sky was sunny and clear all day. The surface water temperature reached a new high of 56°F.
The conditions were very good (without the current it would have been excellent), the fishing was very good and landings were good, mostly because of size. Most legal fish landed were haddock, by far, averaging eight legal a person. The haddock cull was exactly 50/50, legal to sub-legal haddock. Legal landings also included four pollock, a redfish and a whiting. Released fish included zero cod of 5 pounds or greater, a handful of small cod, a few small pollock and a couple of sculpins. They drift and anchored. All terminal gear worked well for catching fish but bait ruled the day on the haddock front.
The story of the day concerned Barry Ano (NY) who became the fisherman of the day for the first time on the Bunny Clark; he was high hook and he won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, a 10.5 pound pollock. He also caught the second largest fish, a 10 pound pollock. He caught his 10 pounder as a double that also included a 7.5 pound pollock, both fish caught on the same line at the same time. Barry also landed the second largest haddock of the trip at 3.5 pounds. And, he gave another angler, who was fishing close, his "secret bait". With this bait, Barry's angling neighbor caught a double of legal haddock! He was dubbed the boat's favorite angler of the day. When I got to the boat a little after the boat docked at 5:00 PM, he was shaking hands with everyone as if my wife had just sold him the Bunny Clark! The third largest fish was a 9.5 pound pollock caught by Jonathan "Griff" Griffin (MA).
Other Angler Highlights: Brian Honeyman (ME) caught the largest haddock at 4 pounds. Brian Tufts (FL) landed a 3 pound haddock and was walking off wih a full freezer bag of fillets (12 to 14 pounds) when I saw him after the boat had landed. Rachel Desley (ME) landed the hard luck award for being the last angler to catch a legal fish. Well, that's better than being sea sick!
As for me, I spent a record amount of time in the office at Barnacle Billy's, Etc. Emails, our biggest order day of the week, the day sheet, writing and management decisions made up most of my. But I also spent a fair amount of time on a J1 student problem. And some of my time was spent working with HGTV. The show, Beachfront Bargain Hunt, wants to have three hours to shoot a lunch/discussion scene on the deck of Barnacle Billy's on some morning between June 28 through July 1. It took me an hour to come to a decision on this with regard to the logistics, how this would relate to our patrons (being July 4th weekend, our busiest weekend of the season) and how we could accommodate both the show and not disrupt business. It ended up with me signing off on an agreement sheet to cement the deal in place. I hate to not spend at least some time in both dinning rooms talking to customers. But that didn't happen today. A first. At the end of this, of course, I had to run around to get the boat provisioned for tomorrow's offshore trip, eat dinner and try to stay away from watching the Bruins game!
I received two donations supporting me and my fanatical desire to see cancer crushed partly through the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, Massachusetts via the Pan-Mass Challenge today. Gary Vincze & Mary Ann Donovan (CT) donated $50.00 in sponsorship while Andy & Susan Tapparo (MA) donated a very generous $250.00 via an "egift" through the PMC site. And actually, Susan's work will donate an equal amount, match the donation, in the near future. Very generous indeed! Thank you all so very much for your help in this project. I really do appreciate it! I struggle to find different ways to say it!
At 3:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 56°F, the sky had just become overcast but was showing clear skies to the east, the wind was light out of the south and the visibility over the ocean excellent.
At 2:00 AM, stars could still be seen in the sky, barely. By 3:00 AM, the sky had become overcast. The ride out of Perkins Cove was uneventful, the sky starting to become light enough to see the channel unaided by electronics. The ride to the fishing grounds was also uneventful with light southerly winds and a chop that was less than a foot in height. The visibility was excellent and the air temperature was mild. We saw a brilliant crimson sunrise that didn't bode well for the future of the sea state along with the weather prediction.
On the fishing grounds, the wind was blowing a solid ten knots from the south with a one foot chop for the first stop. The wind had just come up. This wind hauled southeast and freshened. By noon, we had southeast winds to twenty knots or more. Seas were two to three feet in chops. The air temperature got up as high as 61°F before the rain started after 8:00 AM. By 8:30 AM, we had a steady rain the just increased as the day progressed. The air temperature maintained a value of 55°F through all this. However, the wind hauled out of the northeast by 1:00 PM and the temperature dropped with the wind shift. The air temperature went between 51°F and 52°f for the rest of the trip including the ride back home. By the time I called the trip to head home, the northeast wind was blowing a sustained twenty knots with higher gusts and seas of three to six feet. It rained so hard after the wind swing from the northeast that we had a visibility of one boat length for about a half hour. I can't remember but a couple of times in my life where we had such poor visibility with just rain. The current was strong all day, into the wind, except for the last hour of fishing. The visibility, although excellent before the rain, ranged from a boat length to three and seven miles, depending. The highest surface water temperature that I saw was 55.5°F. The lowest surface water temperature was 50.8°F, amazingly low for this time of year. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 62°F with a low of 53°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 59°F (with a low of 47°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 58°F (with a low of 50°F).
The fishing conditions went from good to poor. The current was strong, the seas increased, the rain, cold temperatures and sea state made it uncomfortable for half the anglers, challenging for the other half, and it was hard to find a medium that worked best. I tried anchoring, drifting (briefly) and the sea anchor. Despite all this, we had very good catching all morning. However, most of the mix was cod, which we can't keep, and sub-legal fish, haddock and pollock. The last spot, where the tide wasn't as strong, was excellent. Most legal fish landed were haddock, by far. The haddock cull somewhere north of 50/50, favoring the legal sized fish. Legal landings also included thirty-seven pollock, thirteen redfish, five cusk, four mackerel and three whiting. We were plagued by porbeagle sharks on one spot with five hookups, all losses. Brett Marsh (CT) had the longest fight, maybe fifteen minutes, where he hooked up in the bow and ended up in the stern, only to break it off. We also had a halibut that broke off about thirty or so feet down and still made it to the surface so we could get a visual of a fish that appeared to be in the 50 pound class. Released fish included fifty-two cod, a few smaller cod (not too many), a few small pollock, a skate and a couple mackerel. All terminal gear worked well but bait was best for the haddock.
Jonathan "Griff" Griffin (MA) was high hook with the most legal fish. He went home with a quarter of the total poundage of fillets caught on the boat today.He caught the second largest haddock at 3.5 pounds and the largest pollock at 12.5 pounds. James Walsh (CT) won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, an 18 pound cod. This is the fifth largest cod that has been caught on the Bunny Clark this season so far. Tim Allard (CT) won the boat pool for the second largest fish with the second largest fish, a 17 pound cod. Tim also caught cod that weighed 12 pounds and 15 pounds. The third largest fish was a 16.25 pound cod caught by Penny Deforge (VT). She caught her fish early in the morning. I took a picture of that fish with her holding it. This digital image appears on the upper left.
Other Angler Highlights: David Paya (VT) landed the second largest redfish of the Bunny Clark fishing season today (so far). His redfish, a Maine state trophy for size, weighed 3.25 pounds. It looked bigger than that to me. But I was fooled earlier this year so I was prepared. The fish was seventeen inches, caliper fork length but had a fourteen inch girth! This late cold water is doing strange things to our fishing this year. The largest fish that I weighed for Dave was an 8 pound cod. Chuck Lennon (MA) landed a 2.25 pound Maine state trophy redfish. Chuck's largest fish was a 13 pound cod. Shark man, Brett Marsh, caught some nice pollock near the end of the trip, in the 8 and 9 pound range. His largest fish was a 10.5 pound cod. Bob Hanby (ME) caught the largest haddock of the trip at 4 pounds. He also caught some of the largest pollock of the trip at 11 pounds and 12 pounds. His largest cod weighed 10.5 pounds. Rocky Kur (CT) caught a 14 pound cod and a 12 pound cod, his two biggest. David Bingell (CT) caught a 13 pound cod. Wobbie "Captain Tangles" Barnes (MA) landed the best double of the day. His double included two pollock of 9.5 pounds each, both fish caught on the same line at the same time. Wobbie's largest fish was a 12 pound cod. Tom Daly (CT) caught an 8.5 pound pollock, his biggest fish.
And then there was Barry Ano (NY), who has been fishing with Captain Ian all week, catching pool fish, attaining high hook status and, generally, being the life of the Bunny Clark angling nation - until today! Do you think he would do any of that good stuff for me? Not on your life. He caught fish to start. And it really looked like he was on to something. But he got wet early, went down below and was quiet for the rest of the trip. If you know Barry, he's anything but quiet! Honestly, I think he just missed his favorite captain, Ian. But I gave him the hard luck award t-shirt anyway!
Tom Daly did me a solid today by getting on the long list of sponsors who are helping me make a difference fighting cancer with the Pan-Mass Challenge. His donation was $25.00. Thank you very much, Tom. It was really nice having you aboard today!
At 5:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 50°F, the sky was overcast, the streets were dry, there was no wind to write about and the visibility over the ocean excellent. Ashore, the sky cleared up, the sun was bright and the wind was light from the south. It was a beautiful day on the deck at Barnacle Billy's restaurant with a high temperature a little over 70°F. The visibility was excellent and the sky stayed mostly clear with some clouds later in the afternoon that looked like they would bring rain but didn't. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 77°F with a low of 54°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 71°F (with a low of 46°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 69°F (with a low of 49°F).
On the fishing grounds, the wind blew out of the south at five to ten knots, increased to ten and fifteen knots and then backed off to ten and five knots. Sea were left over from yesterday's wind at three and four feet. Chops were two feet at times but mostly a foot over the swells. The air temperature reached a high of 60°F. The visibility ranged to over twenty miles. The tide (current) was moderate. The sky was a mix of sun and clouds. The surface water temperature reached a high of 54°F.
The fishing, the conditions and the catching was very good overall. Most legal fish landed were haddock, by far. The haddock cull was almost exactly 50/50, legal to sub-legal fish. Legal landings also included twelve pollock, two redfish, a cusk and a whiting. Released fish included twelve cod of 5 pounds or greater, a few smaller cod, a pile of small pollock on a couple of spots and a wolffish. They drift fished the whole trip. The drift was perfect. Bait worked best.
Barry Ano (NY) revealed his true angling self again with Captain Ian today. He was high hook with the most legal fish. He also caught the largest haddock of the day at 5 pounds. And he did rub it in when the Bunny Clark got back to Perkins Cove. As the boat was making the turn in the basin, Barry yelled at the top of his lungs, so everyone could hear; "Ian's a better captain!" And, of course, I knew that! Roger Hopkins (RI) was probably a fish shy of Barry. Close. Roger's best fish included the wolffish at 6.5 pounds, a 7 pound cod and an 8 pound cod. The 8 pound cod was the third largest fish of the trip.
Roger's dory mate, Chuck Alhanese (RI), on his maiden voyage aboard the Bunny Clark, won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, an 11 pound pollock. His first good fish of the trip was a cod that weighed 6.25 pounds. The second largest fish was an 8.5 pound pollock caught by Alvin Belanger (ME). Alvin also caught a 6 pound cod. Ray Carrigan (NH) landed the hard luck award for being the high hurler of the trip. There were two sea sick anglers today.
Barry Ano ended his time with us on a strong note by donating $50.00 to my cancer fight with the Pan-Mass Challenge. Thank you so much Barry. It was fun having you aboard this week. Of course, it was more fun for Ian but I will take what I can get! I appreciate your generous cancer donation.
At 5:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 55°F, the sky was cloudless, there was no wind and the visibility over the ocean excellent. Ashore, the wind blew out of the south at ten to fifteen knots. The sky was cloudless nearly all morning but had wisps of high clouds in the afternoon. The sky was sunny and bright all day. The air temperature got up as high as 75°F. With the sea breeze it was just about perfect. The visibility was excellent. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 84°F with a low of 62°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 81°F (with a low of 45°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 75°F (with a low of 49°F).
On the fishing grounds, the wind blew out of the southwest a five to ten knots. Seas were chops of a foot over two foot rolling sea swells. The air temperature reached a high of 60°F. The visibility ranged to over twenty miles. The tide (current) was moderate to strong. The sky was a mix of sun and clouds. The surface water temperature reached a high of 54°F.
The conditions were very good, save for the stronger than normal tide. The catching was good. Landings were fair to poor. The bite was not on today. Also, there weren't as many bait fisherman to boost the haddock take. Legal landings included thirty-eight haddock, four pollock, one redfish and three cusk. Released fish included three cod of 5 pounds or better, seventy-one sub-legal haddock, a few small cod and pollock and a sculpin. Ian drift fished and anchored. Bait was best.
Ian couldn't tell me who was high hook. Kyle Koslowski (MA) won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, a 6.5 pound cod. The second largest fish was a 6 pound cod caught by Ryan Chojnowski (MA). Lisa Abderhalden (MA) caught the third largest fish, a 5.25 pound cod. Victor Burrafato (MA) landed the hard luck award for being most affected by the motion of the ocean.
I received two donations sponsoring my involvement in the Pan-Mass Challenge cancer project. A cycling event that supports the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, Massachusetts. Michael & Sally Sanders (CT) gave a very generous $250.00 via an "egift" through the PMC site. Blake & Pam Love (NH) donated $50.00 to the cause. Thank you all so very much for you generosity and help. I very much appreciate this.
At 5:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 61°F, the sky was overcast, a light rain had been falling, light rain was on the way, the wind was blowing out of the south southwest and the visibility over the ocean was good. Ashore, after 6:00 AM, we never saw another drop of rain until 11:15 AM. After that, it rained continuously, and light for the rest of the day, becoming intermittent after 5:00 PM. The sky was overcast all day. The air temperature got up as high as 65°F in Perkins Cove. It might have been higher at some point but I didn't see it. The wind blew out of the south to about ten knots, at the most. The visibility ranged from fair to poor in precipitation and fog. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 72°F with a low of 63°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 71°F (with a low of 63°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 71°F (with a low of 61°F).
On the fishing grounds, the wind blew out of the south southwest at ten knots or so. Seas were chops of a foot or two. The air temperature got up as high as 58°F. The visibility ranged from one to five miles in light rain showers and fog. The tide (current) was moderate. The sky remained overcast for the whole time they were out there. The surface water temperature reached a high of 54°F.
The fishing conditions were fair for some with the light chop and continuous rain. Otherwise, the conditions were very good for those who were dressed for it. The catching was excellent. Landings were very good. It was a really good biting day. Most legal fish landed were haddock, by far. The haddock cull was 65/35, favoring the legal sized fish. Legal landings also included eight pollock, sixteen cusk, a monkfish and a whiting. Released fish included nine cod of 5 pounds or more, a few sub-legal pollock/cod and four wolffish. They drift fished and anchored. All terminal gear worked well but bait was definitely best for catching haddock.
Ryan Keniston (ME), Ian's son, was high hook with over twenty legal. His largest fish was an 11 pound cod, the second largest fish of the trip. Stefan Black (ME) won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, an 11.5 pound wolffish. The third largest fish was a 10.5 pound pollock, caught by Bob Laubauskas (ME).
Other Angler Highlights: Matt Laubauskas (ME) caught a 9 pound cod, his largest fish. Todd Mallory (NY) caught the second largest wolffish at 10 pounds. Seth Greenwood (NY) caught the best double of the day. His double included an 8.5 pound cod and a 7 pound cod, both fish caught on the same line at the same time. He also landed the hard luck award for being the only one seasick (once) and for losing his favorite jig! Ouch!
I received two donations sponsoring me in my cancer research project with the Pan-Mass Challenge today. Those donors included Steve McGrath (NH) with his annual much appreciated $50.00. My other donor donated for his second time. This time with a donation of a very generous $500.00, a larger donation than last year. His name is Harry Bajakian (NJ), a hell of a good cyclist and better friend. Thank you both for your unself, thoughtful gifts. I seriously appreciate your support and help.
At 5:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 60°F, the sky was cloudless, there was no wind to write about and the visibility over the ocean was excellent. It was a beautiful day ashore today. The wind was very light out of the northwest to start, calm and then light out of the south later in the morning and throughout the afternoon. We had a south southwest wind of ten knots along the coast at about the time the Bunny Clark came back from the day's trip. The wind was light for the rest of the night. The air temperature reached a high of 75°F before the on-shore breeze kicked in. The sky was cloudless after sunrise with very high thin clouds in the afternoon. The visibility was excellent. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 75°F with a low of 66°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 79°F (with a low of 57°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 was light from the north and then calm with no wind for the rest of the trip. They ran into some light southerly wind in the afternoon. The air temperature got up to a high of 66°F, a new high on the fishing grounds this season. The visibility ranged to over twenty miles. The tide (current) was moderate. The sky was sunny all day. The surface water temperature reached a high of 56°F.
The fishing conditions were excellent, the fishing was very good and landings were good. There were quite a few cod which took the place of fish that were landed. If you could have kept cod, the fishing would have been nearly excellent. As it was, Ian had to get away from the cod somewhat. Most legal fish landed were haddock, by far. The haddock cull was 55/45, favoring the legal sized fish. Legal landings also included thirty-three pollock and eight cusk. Released fish included too many cod to count over 5 pounds, a few smaller cod and pollock and one wolffish. They drift fished all day. All terminal gear worked well. Bait was best for haddock.
Sixteen year old Erin Harris (MA) - less than a week from turning seventeen - was high hook with the most legal fish. Her largest fish was a 14 pound cod, the second largest fish of the trip. She also caught a 10 pound cod and landed a 10 pound pollock. She is very good at fishing, one of the best. Erin could hone her skills, I believe, and be much better. But she is also very good in sports, soccer specifically, which takes her away from fishing. I guess there are a couple of other things that keep her away from fishing as well.
Charlie Sykes (PA) won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, a 15 pound cod. The third largest fish was a 13.5 pound cod caught by Todd Mallory (NY).
Other Angler Highlights: Dave Harris (MA), Erin's dad, caught a 12 pound cod, an 11.5 pound cod and a 10 pound pollock, his three largest fish. Dick Taylor (MA), the third cog in the Harris wheel, caught the fourth largest fish, a 13 pound cod. Dick also caught a 12.5 pound cod. Laura Calderwood (ME) caught the largest haddock at 5 pounds. Steve McGrath (NH) caught a 12.5 pound cod, his best. Bob Greenly (PA) caught a 12 pound cod, his biggest fish. Harold Lewis (NJ) landed the hard luck award for only getting one legal fish.
I received two donation's helping to make this the best year I have ever had in fund raising for the Pan-Mass Challenge. Both were for $25.00, one from Steve & Gail Linn (PA). The other was from Charlie Sykes. Thank you all so very much. It's great to have your support!
At 3:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 56°F, the sky was clear, the wind was light out of the east and the visibility over the ocean was excellent.
The sky was clear with a full moon over my right shoulder when we headed down the channel and out the gate. There was about seven knots of wind that might have been close to ten knots a couple miles later, out of the north. Seas were chops of a foot. Ten miles from our destination, the wind let go completely, leaving us with a flat calm ocean. There was a mix of sun and clouds, mostly sun, at that point.
On the fishing grounds, there was no wind for the first hour. The ocean was flat calm completely devoid of a ripple on the surface. The wind started blowing out of the south at around 9:00 AM. Very light at first, the wind only breezed up to about three or four knots by the time we were ready to head home. We had light southerly winds all the way home. The highest air temperature of the day was 63°F. The tide (current) was light, perfect. The sky was a mix of sun and clouds, mostly clear and sunny in the morning, mostly cloudy in the afternoon. On the ride home, it looked like it was going to rain. The visibility ranged to about ten miles in haze. The surface water temperature reached a high 56.4°F. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 70°F with a low of 61°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 69°F (with a low of 55°F).
The fishing conditions were excellent. They couldn't have been better. The air temperature, the sea state, the current, the drift (of the boat) and the sky were perfect. The catching was good to very good in the morning, excellent in the afternoon. Landings were very good overall. Most legal fish landed were haddock, by far. We caught the bag limit an hour and a half before the trip was over. The haddock cull was about ten to one, favoring the legal haddock. But most of the legal haddock were eighteen to nineteen inches with only a handful of haddock over 3 pounds. Legal landings also included five pollock (we couldn't find the pollock that Ian got into yesterday), twenty-three cusk and one halibut. Released fish included fifteen cod over 5 pounds, twenty-six dogfish, no small pollock, four wolffish, seventeen small cod and one halibut. We anchored once, quickly, with very little success and drift fished the rest of the trip. All terminal gear worked well but bait caught the most haddock.
I could not tell you who was high hook. There was too much action. Ed Robichaud (ME) won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, a 79 pound Atlantic halibut. This is the first halibut that Ed has ever seen. He's been with me a few times but has never seen one caught. This is the Bunny Clark's eighth largest halibut. Unfortunately, we had already landed a 30 pound halibut and hour or more earlier so we couldn't keep the big one. Knowing this, with me holding the leader, Fred Kunz (NH) was able to get his hand under the gill plate and slide the fish in the boat where it was quickly weighed, a picture was taken with a cell phone and the fish released. Ed took such a long time getting it in that I don't believe the fish suffered for it. And it did swim away, confirming my thoughts. But in the end, who knows? The point was that we couldn't keep it anyway. It, too, was interesting the way he caught it. The catching had tapered off so I started the engine and told everyone to reel up. Ed was the last one to do so. When he got the line up about ten fathoms, the halibut hit the green cod fly that Ed had just above the sinker and took it right back to bottom. Straight to bottom! There wouldn't have been anyone to tangle with anyway as everyone else had finished bringing their lines in. Then it was the gaining and losing line until Ed got the fish to the side of the boat. Ed also did very well with the haddock catching, as did everyone.
Bob Mayer (ME) won the boat pool for the second largest fish with the second largest fish, a 30 pound halibut. When we got this fish to the surface, Fred Kunz, with the boat gaff, and I, with the flying gaff, couldn't decide if it should be gaffed. It looked like it might have been sub-legal. Fred made the call, telling me it was legal. I was game and gaffed the fish in the shoulder, just in case it wasn't. But it turned out to be forty-two inches caliper fork length, an inch over legal size. This is the Bunny Clark's seventh halibut this season so far. I hadn't seen a legal halibut this season before this one was landed. Captain Ian has seen three legal halibut this season so far. I took a picture of Bob holding is halibut. This digital image appears on the left. This is the first halibut that Bob has landed but not the first halibut he has hooked! Bob also caught the two largest haddock of the trip. One weighed 6 pounds and the other weighed 5.5 pounds.
Fred Kunz won the boat pool for the third largest fish with the third largest fish, a 16 pound wolffish. This is the third largest wolffish of the Bunny Clark fishing season so far and the largest wolffish that Fred had caught in a while. He caught two wolffish today. His biggest haddock weighed 4 pounds. He fished with a jig and fly all day.
Steve Linn (PA) hooked the first big fish of the day. I don't know what kind of fish it was. It's hard to tell with Steve as he plays a fish easier than most. But he was disappointed in losing it, the only sure sign that it was a good one! C'est la vie! Steve was leading the boat pools today with a 14 pound wolffish before Bob boated his halibut.
Besides the good fishing, the other most exciting thing was Jim Pirog's (MA) "tuna". At least I thought it was a tuna. It turned out to be a porbeagle shark. But it must have been a huge one because it almost spooled Jim's reel. And there wasn't much time to make a decision whether to chase it or break it off. As it turned out, just as the last wrap of line could be seen on the spool, the end of the leader parted off. When Jim got the leader back, the monofilament was all chaffed up as it had rubbed along the side of the shark. I suppose it could have been another species of shark as I have never seen a mackerel shark move so fast. But I never got a visual on it so we will never know. We did have porbeagle sharks around the boat that we did see during the trip but not at the same time that Jim had his shark on the line.
Other Angler Highlights: Charlie Sykes (PA) started off the boat pool with an 11.5 pound cod. That wasn't the best fish of the trip for him but it was the largest. Bob Greenly (PA) caught a 10 pound cod, his largest fish. His best haddock weighed 4 pounds. He also caught the largest pollock at 8 pounds. John Pirog (MA) caught an 8 pound wolffish, his biggest fish. Although he did catch a cod that might have been bigger. Rich Tomski (MA) caught the largest cod of the trip at 12 pounds. Wade Colby (ME) landed the hard luck award for catching the most dogfish (six) and for getting semi-frequently tangled.
At 5:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 57°F, the sky could not be seen, there was no wind and there was no visibility or ocean. In it's place was a dense mass of black thick fog. The sun came out around mid morning and stayed out for most of the day. The wind blew lightly out of the southeast. At 5:30 PM, the wind picked up to about eight knots and brought the fog right back into Perkins Cove. The air temperature reached a high of 67°F. It had dropped to 60°F by 6:00 PM. The fog bank hung off shore today so the visibility over the ocean and on the ocean was not good. It never did rain so that was a good thing. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 71°F with a low of 60°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 78°F (with a low of 58°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 68°F (with a low of 57°F).
Not having the boat on a trip through me off today. I kept expecting the boat to come in when it was already here! Old habits die hard.
Wednesday is a huge order day for the restaurants. So much of my time on Wednesday is spent in the office trying to get everything done by 6:00 PM so I can get ready for the next day's marathon trip. It's a struggle as I have to make sure the managers give me the order sheets early enough so I can get to it. Even with the boat in today, and not having to meet it, I still wasn't done by 6:00 PM. But I was done shortly afterward.
At 3:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 57°F, the sky seemed overcast, there was no wind and the visibility over the ocean was poor in fog. More later.
We have many angler openings for future fishing trips. These trips with openings are as follows: The full day trip on Saturday, June 22, has four fishing places available, the extreme day trip on Sunday, June 23, has nineteen fishing spots available, the extreme day trip on Monday, June 24, has fifteen fishing spots available, the extreme day trip of Wednesday, June 26, has thirteen fishing places available and the marathon trip on Thursday, June 27, has twelve fishing spots available. Weather permitting, the previously mentioned fishing trips have enough anglers to sail. The haddock fishing is very good to phenomenal, the occasional halibut is being caught (we have seen five so far this season, three legal to keep), the pollock are starting to filter in and the weather is turning warmer. To make a reservation you can call 207-646-2214. Be there or be square!
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