Bunny Clark Fishing Update

Monday, June 24, 2019

At 10:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 58°F, the sky was clear with hazy stars over head, the wind was so light out of the south as to be non-existent and the visibility over the ocean was very good, at least. We made it out through the gate by 11:00 PM, headed to the fishing grounds. The wind was light from the south or southeast, seas were small chops so the weather conditions did not compromise our traveling time. After a half hour, I turned the helm over to Captain Ian Keniston.

Tim Tuesday, June 25, 2019

On the fishing grounds, the wind was light from the south, seas were chops of a half foot or so, the sky was clear with some high clouds and the visibility was very good. As the say progressed, the sky filled in with clouds, the wind blew up to twelve knots from the south and seas were chops of two feet or so. By noon the sky had become overcast. The wind never blew much more than twelve knots and the sea state remained the same. The weather conditions were much the same on the ride home. Although we did run into a fog bank at the half way mark. And we saw our first rain drop within an hour from getting back to Perkins Cove. The highest air temperature of the day was 62°F. The tide (current) was moderate but counter to the wind. The visibility was very good until we ran into the fog. The surface water temperature reached a high 55.8°F. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 73°F with a low of 63°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 69°F (with a low of 51°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 63°F (with a low of 53°F).

The fishing conditions were excellent, the catching was good as were the landings. The landings and fishing could have been better had the purpose been to put fish in the boat. It wasn't. The group was more interested in a discovery trip with the chance to get a halibut which, as luck would have it, we did. So mission accomplished, sort of. I would have rather seen someone else get the halibut. Most legal fish landed were an even mix of haddock and larger pollock. The haddock cull was about five to one, favoring the legal fish. The haddock weren't particularly big. In fact, I doubt we had one as large as 3 pounds. Legal landings also included a cusk and a halibut. Released fish included forty dogfish, twenty-seven cod from 5 to 23.5 pounds, seven or eight cusk, a handful of small cod, a sub-legal pollock and a few legal pollock. We drift fished and anchored. No one used bait today. We would have been much more successful had more anglers used bait - but, again, that wasn't the design of the trip.

I had no idea who was high hook. How could you know? Everyone was pooling their fish and many legal fish were released. I caught the largest fish. I was allowed to fish and I took advantage of the opportunity. Last week, when Bob Mayer was aboard, I watched what he used for a jig and how he jigged. Bob has had much success with hooking halibut. So, yesterday, I chose a jig very similar to his and caught a 36.25 pound halibut with it on the next to last stop. The bite for the big flat fish was off today. I expected more and bigger ones. I believe we had a couple others that were hooked but they weren't on the line long enough to really know. I think we had two other opportunities from looking at the sounding machine. I caught this fish with a rod that Sean Devich made for me a few years ago. It has been my favorite rod ever since. So it was very special catching this halibut with this rod. At any rate, I was not in the boat pool. Captain Ian took a picture of me holding the only halibut I have caught on rod and reel since 1978! This digital image appears on the left. This is the largest halibut I have ever caught (recreationally). The largest before that was one I caught from my skiff in 1964 a mile off Perkins Cove in the fog. That fish was 35 pounds. I was twelve years old at the time.

Jim Nason (NH) won the boat pool for the largest fish with the second largest fish, a 23.5 pound cod. This is the Bunny Clark's largest cod of the season to date. Pete Morrill (ME) took a great picture of Jim holding his steaker cod. This digital image appears on the right. Jim also caught the largest pollock of the trip at 13.75 pounds. The third largest fish was a 17 pound cod caught by Anthonly Palumbo.

Other Angler Highlights: Eric Pysar (NY) caught the fourth largest fish, a 15 pound cod. His largest pollock weighed 13 pounds. Sean Devich caught an 11 pound pollock that I weighed as it was the first good sized one that I saw today. Dom Bruno (NY) caught a 12.5 pound pollock, his biggest fish. His largest cod weighed 11.25 pounds. Pete Morrill was sleeping when I caught my halibut. Pete's largest fish was a 13 pound pollock. Ben Mahn (NH) caught an 11 pound pollock. He also landed the hard luck award t-shirt for no better reason than I wanted to give it to him!

I received three donations sponsoring me in the Pan-Mass Challenge today. These donors and their donations included Jim Nason for $25.00, Eric Pysar for $25.00 and Ben Mahn (NH) for $45.00. Thank you all so very much for your kindness, generosity and support. I very much appreciate this. It's a great help.

Wednesday, June 26, 2019

At 5:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 62°F, the sky was overcast, there was no wind and the visibility over the ocean was poor in black thick fog. The fog hung around the shore until about 10:00 AM and then backed off a bit. The fog ranged in and out but never touched shore until about 3:00 PM, when it showed up in Perkins Cove and stayed there for the rest of the day and on into the night. The wind blew out of the northeast in the morning at very light speeds. The ocean along the shore was calm. The wind hauled out of the east at 3:00 PM and increased in velocity. By 4:00 PM, the easterly wind was blowing almost fifteen knots before backing off closer to the ten knot range. The sky was clear when the fog wasn't around. So, inland, the sky was sunny most of the day. It was overcast, however, for most of the morning. The air temperature in Perkins Cove never reached the 70°F mark. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 75°F with a low of 62°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 85°F (with a low of 63°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 74°F (with a low of 55°F).

On the fishing grounds, the wind blew out of the northeast at five knots. At that time the visibility ranged from an eighth of a mile to a mile in fog. After noon, the fog clear and left a haze which increased the visibility to ten and fifteen miles. The ocean was calm in the morning. Before noon, the wind increased to ten knots or better. The calm water was replaced with chops of one to two feet. The air temperature reached a high of 63°F. The tide (current) was moderate. The sky was overcast in the morning (the fog making it seem that way?) and sunny in the afternoon. The surface water temperature reached a high of 56°F.

The fishing was excellent, the catching was very good and landings were good to very good. Most legal fish landed were haddock, by far. The haddock cull was 60/40, favoring the legal sized fish. Legal landings also included three pollock, a cusk and fifteen mackerel. Released fish included one cod of 5 pounds or more, just a few small cod, a couple small pollock and a wolffish. Ian didn't divulge the boating method. He did say that both bait, jigs and flies worked equally well.

Ian couldn't determine who was high hook. There were a lot of haddock caught. Brian Plasse (ME) 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 wolffish caught by Valerie Hamel (ME). Moe Hart (ME) caught the third largest fish, a 4 pound cod. Gabe Keefe (VT) landed the hard luck award for being the sole (soul?) hurler.

My wonderful sister, Cathy Koppstein, made a very generous $500.00 donation to my cancer fund raising drive with the Pan-Mass Challenge today. She wanted it to be "in honor of Harry Koppstein", her father in law, who lost his life at too young an age from cancer. Thank you so very much for your generosity and kindness, Cath. I appreciate this more than you will ever know. And I am humbled by your unselfish support!

Thursday, June 27, 2019

At 3:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 59°F, the sky was overcast and the roads were wet after violent thunder storms swept through the area earlier in the morning, there was no wind and the visibility was fair in the potential of fog just waiting to pounce again.

As I was getting ready to go to the Cove to prepare the Bunny Clark for the day's marathon trip, I heard my first crack of thunder. This was at 1:00 AM. For a good forty-five minutes, there was thunder, lightning and pouring rain. And a very scared dog! Gill, our border collie, does not like thunder and lightning and was shaking like a leaf, drooling all over the place and pacing. Nothing I could do would calm him down. I hugged him, talked to him and tried to do anything to calm him down, to no avail. But I also had to get ready. During the time I wasn't paying attention to Gill, he decorated the living room floor with materials previously digested. The living room is dark so I discovered this by stepping in it. Needless to say, I was late to the boat. I didn't want Deb to have to wake up and clean all that mess up. Nor did I want it to sit that long before she woke. By the time I was done, the storms had headed out to sea, leaving Ogunquit in their wake. Gill was back to normal when I jumped in the truck to head to the Cove. And I was fifteen minutes late.

It had been foggy before the t-storms. But the wind and the rain had taken all that away. It was due back, the fog rolling in just as we were headed down the channel and out to the gate. Actually, we shook hands at the gate, carrying the fog with us for at least ten miles. It opened up for a while but closed in again when got to Jeffrey's ledge. For the rest of the ride out we had enough visibility to see a mile or so and not have to rely so much on radar. The ocean was fairly calm with a light northeast wind.

On the fishing grounds, we had foggy conditions all day. Sometimes we had three boat lengths of visibility. At other times we had almost a mile. The wind was out of the northeast at ten knots to start but that quickly died away. Most of the day the wind was so light that it was hard to discern a wind direction. Indeed, there was no wind on the ride home. When the fog lightened up, we had some sun. Most of the day you could see where it must have been sunny ashore. The highest air temperature of the day was 64°F. The tide (current) was moderate in the morning to very light in the afternoon. The surface water temperature reached a high 58°F. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 71°F with a low of 61°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 87°F (with a low of 63°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 72°F (with a low of 58°F).

The fishing, the catching and landings were very good to excellent. It was a great day. It would have been a day I would have picked to be the last spring marathon of the 2019 Bunny Clark fishing season. We had wonderful people, the weather was great and, on two spots, the catching was phenomenal. Most legal fish landed were haddock, by far, followed closely by legal pollock and big redfish. We were catching haddock so quickly on the last spot I had to make sure the haddock count didn't go over the limit. As it was I had to stop the fishing early in order to accomplish that goal. The haddock cull was 80/20, favoring the legal sized fish. Legal landings also included six cusk. Released fish included thirty cod over 5 pounds, maybe ten smaller cod, a few redfish, a few pollock and twenty-eight dogfish. We anchored for every stop in the morning and drift fished, primarily, in the afternoon. Jigs and flies caught the most fish, by far.

I believe that Mark Doody (CT) was high hook with the most legal fish. But it was close. The only reason I picked Mark was because he caught fish steadily all day and he had the most pounds of fillets. Plus, with Mark's history on the Bunny Clark, there is rarely a time when he isn't high hook! In fact, I can't remember a single time that he caught less than the most! But my memory isn't what it used to be. Jon Tesnakis (NY) won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, a 14.25 pound cod. Some of his other notable fish included a 10 pound cod and a cod that weighed 12 pounds. Bob Nodein (ME) won the boat pool for the second largest fish with the second largest fish, a 13.5 pound cod. Bob's largest pollock weighed 8.75 pounds and his biggest haddock weighed 4 pounds. The third largest fish was a pollock that weighed 12.1 pounds, caught by Raymond Charles (ME). Ray also caught an 8.25 pound pollock, an 8.5 pound pollock and a 9 pound cod.

Other Angler Highlights: Chris Deschambault (ME) caught the largest cusk at 10 pounds. He caught quite a few haddock. Herb Huntington (ME) caught an 11 pound cod, his largest fish. George Johnson (NY) landed the largest haddock. This fish weighed 5.75 pounds. Kevin Baker (ME) may have caught the most haddock but it was really hard to say. His two largest fish were both cod. One weighed 12 pounds and the other weighed 11 pounds. Al Fornier (ME) caught a 10.5 pound cod, his best fish. Matt Viel (NH) caught an 11.75 pound cod, his largest fish. He also landed the hard luck award for getting a touch of the mal de mer, the only angler on the trip to feel this way!

I received a few donations supporting my mission for better cancer research through the Pan-Mass Challenge today. Those donors and their donations included Bob Nodein for $30.00, an anonymous donation of $25.00, a generous $50.00 donation from Jon Tesnakis and Ray Charles for a donation of $30.00. Thank you all so very much for sponsorship and generosity. I really do appreciate your help on this!

Friday, June 28, 2019

At 5:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 57°F, the sky was seemed overcast (fog), there was no wind to write about and the visibility over the ocean was poor in a thick dungeon of fog. It was foggy for most of the morning along the shore with overcast skies. By noon, the fog was long gone and the sun was shinning brightly. There was no wind in the morning. By noon, the wind had come up out of the south southwest and produced a nice breeze along the deck at Barnacle Billy's. The air temperature rose to the highest levels this season so far. I saw 82°F for a high in Perkins Cove. The visibility was good or better than that after noon. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 85°F with a low of 63°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 89°F (with a low of 57°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 81°F (with a low of 58°F).

On the fishing grounds, the wind was a non-factor. The ocean was calm. By noon, the wind had come up out of the southwest and was blowing about five knots. It had been foggy all morning but cleared with the southwest wind. The air temperature got up into the mid 60°s. The visibility ranged from an eighth of a mile in the morning with the fog to fifteen and twenty miles after the wind shift. The tide was light. The sky was or seemed overcast in the morning, sunny in the afternoon. The surface water temperature reached a high of 58°F.

The fishing was excellent, the catching was very good and landings were fair to good. Legal landings included seventy-seven haddock, three pollock, seven cusk and six mackerel. Released fish included eighty sub-legal haddock, two cod of 5 pounds or more, a handful of small cod, a couple sub-legal pollock, forty dogfish and four wolffish. They drift fished for the trip. All terminal gear worked the same today.

Steve Olson (NY) won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, a 13 pound wolffish. The second largest fish was a cod that weighed 9.5 pounds, caught by Jack Judge (CT/ME). Ron Duford, Sr. (NY) caught the third largest fish, an 8 pound wolffish. Nathan Gifford (NY) landed the hard luck award for being the sole hurler of the trip.

I received two donations sponsoring my ride in the Pan-Mass Challenge today. Marty & Elise Buskey) donated $25.00 to sponsor me for the fourth time this year with that same amount. In all, that's a generous donation. I also received a very generous $250.00 donation from Charlie & Linda Nickerson (ME) today. Thank you so very much for all the support you give me, Marty & Elise. And thank you for your help year to year from the moment I started this cancer project, Charlie & Linda. I appreciate all your help so much.

Our booking service on line went live with the advent of a "booking button" on the index page of this web site. I also added a booking icon, the boat, below on this page. We shall see how this stimulates business.

Saturday, June 29, 2019

At 5:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 68°F, the sky was overcast, the wind was light out of the north and the visibility over the ocean was good to very good. The sky stayed overcast all day with the occasional light sprinkle of rain throughout the day. The air temperature was warm and the wind so light that people on the patio of both Barnacle Billy's and Barnacle Billy's, Etc. didn't move in with the rain. They all waited it out and were rewarded for their decision. The ocean along the shore was flat calm. The highest air temperature that I saw in Perkins Cove was 78°F. The visibility was good at least. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 87°F with a low of 68°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 83°F (with a low of 63°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 84°F (with a low of 65°F).

On the fishing grounds, the wind blew out of the southwest at five knots or less. The ocean was calm. The high air temperature for the day was 67°F. The visibility ranged from two to ten miles in thick haze and the occasional rain shower. The tide was light. The sky was overcast for the trip. The surface water temperature reached a high of 59°F.

The fishing trip was very much like yesterday without the wolffish. The fishing was excellent, the catching was very good and landings were good. Legal landings included seventy-eight haddock, eight cusk and six mackerel. Released fish included eight dogfish, two cod over 5 pounds, eighty-four sub-legal haddock, a couple small pollock and very few small cod. They drift fished for the trip. Bait was best today.

Todd Pizzella (NJ) was high hook with the most legal fish. Ian didn't get a count. Shane Hawley (TX) won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, an 8.5 pound cod. The second largest fish was an 8 pound cod caught by Mark Martineau (MA). Bobby Hazelton (ME) caught a 4 pound haddock, the biggest haddock of the trip and the third largest fish of the trip as well. Allan Smith (ME) was the sole hurler, like yesterday, and like yesterday, landed the hard luck award for his malady!

Sunday, June 30, 2019

At 5:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 62°F, the sky was mostly clear, there was no wind, the ocean was flat calm along the shore and the visibility over the ocean was very good. Ashore, the wind blew out of the north at seven or eight knots all morning, hauling out of the south southwest in the afternoon. The sky was clear and sunny all morning with the air temperature reaching 73°F, the highest that I saw. We started to see clouds after noon. At 1:46 PM, the first rain started to fall. This continued for the rest of the afternoon and into the evening. At first, we had torrential rains with thunder and lightning. Later, it was mostly light rain with the occasional thunder clap. The visibility for the day ranged from very good to poor in heavy rain. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 78°F with a low of 65°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was ?°F (with a low of ?°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 77°F (with a low of 61°F).

On the fishing grounds, the wind blew out of the northwest at five knots or so in the morning, dying out in the afternoon to no wind and calm seas. They didn't get the rain until they were on the way back to Perkins Cove. So the timing of this weather event was perfect for them. The air temperature reached a value of 70°F, the highest air temperature of the year, so far, on the high seas. The visibility ranged from twenty miles to an eighth of a mile in fog after noon. The tide was light. The sky was sunny in the morning, overcast in the afternoon. The surface water reached a high temperature of 60°F.

The fishing was excellent, the catching and landings were very good. Most legal fish landed were haddock, by far. And many more haddock than yesterday. The haddock cull was better as well with 70/30 split, favoring the legal fish. Legal landings also included two pollock and eighteen cusk. Released fish included three cod of 5 to 7 pounds, a few smaller cod, a couple of small pollock and one dogfish. Drifting was the method. All terminal gear worked well.

Dan Killay (VT) was high hook with over twenty legal fish. He was fishing with a jig and fly (jig stick). Jason O'Connor (ME) won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, a 7 pound cod. The second largest fish was a 6.75 pound cusk caught by Sam Argenio (NJ). Drew Dunlap (NH) caught the third largest fish, a 6.5 pound cod.

Other Angler Highlights: Bill Harding (ME) made a mark by catching the fourth largest fish, a 5.5 pound cod. Marie Harding (ME), Bill's dory mate, landed the hard luck award by getting involved in the most tangled lines! Ouch!

Monday, July 1, 2019

At 5:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 58°F, the sky was cloudless, the wind was blowing out of the northwest at ten knots and the visibility over the ocean was excellent. Ashore, the air temperature climbed. The northwest wind died, the ocean became flat calm along the shore and then the wind hauled out of the south southwest and blew as hard as eight knots. Near the end of the day the wind died. The highest air temperature reading that I saw was 79°F. It was also a bit humid. The visibility was excellent. The sky was nearly cloudless all day. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 80°F with a low of 64°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was ?°F (with a low of ?°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 83°F (with a low of 60°F).

On the fishing grounds, the wind was light and variable in direction all day. The ocean was calm. [Too nice a day for a good bite!] The air temperature reached a high of 69°F under the canopy top in the shade. The visibility ranged to twenty miles or more. The tide (current) was moderate. The sky was sunny all day. The surface water temperature reached a high of 61°F, the highest surface water temperature we have seen this season to date.

The fishing was excellent, the catching was good but the landings were fair. There was one spot where no legal fish were caught, nothing. This is a first for this season. Luckily, this wasn't the case for all the other spots. Legal landings included sixty-three haddock, one redfish, ten cusk and five mackerel. Released fish included one cod of 5 pounds, seven smaller cod, a small pollock and sixty-six sub-legal haddock. They drift fished and anchored. Bait worked best.

John McCurry (MA) hooked what he thought was a big fish only to find out that it was a seal! It was hooked in the forward "paddle/foot". He first hooked it on the bottom and brought it all the way to the surface. With just a little bit of finagling, they got the mammal unhooked and released unharmed without getting it too near the boat or any customer trying to help. This isn't the first time that this has happened.

Yvon Duquette (ME) was high hook with the most legal fish. His largest fish was a 4 pound cod, the third largest fish of the trip. Bill Snarski (AZ) won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, a 5 pound cod. Walt Klinger, Jr. (ME) caught the second largest fish of the trip, a 4.5 pound cod. Denise Helke (CO) landed the hard luck award for being the sole (soul) hurler during the trip.

I received a $25.00 donation from Walt Klinger, Jr. sponsoring me in the Pan-Mass Challenge today, a cycling event to raise money for cancer research. Walt (and Kim Klinger) have donated to my cause every year since I started this endeavor in 2007. Thanks so much, Walt, for your support and generosity. I do so appreciate it. But not as much as I enjoy having you aboard the Bunny Clark!

Tim Tuesday, July 2, 2019

At 2:30 AM EDT the air temperature was 67°F, the sky was overcast, there was no wind and the visibility over the ocean seemed very good.

The ocean was mirror, flat calm after we left Perkins Cove, headed to the fishing grounds. It was a delight steering out. The air temperature was mild and the visibility was very good.

On the fishing grounds, the ocean was calm all day. Flat calm. The wind started out very light from the northwest but we were quickly left with no wind and a glassy ocean surface. We had no swell either. So the boat was as quiet as if she were hauled out on shore. For the ride back to Perkins Cove, the wind became established out of the southwest at no more than six knots with a small chop less than a foot. The air temperature reached a high of 68°F. The tide (current) was odd and strong most of the time. The sky was overcast for most of the morning, clear after 11:00 AM. The visibility ranged to over twenty miles. The surface water temperature reached a high 62°F. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 87°F with a low of 73°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 87°F (with a low of 62°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 89°F (with a low of 66°F).

The fishing was good; there was too much current to put it any higher on the quality scale. The catching was good. Landings were fair. Legal landings included ten haddock, one pollock, one redfish, four cusk, twelve white hake, two whiting, one squirrel hake and twelve mackerel. Released fish included three legal haddock, six sub-legal haddock, nine cod of 5 pounds or more, eighteen small cod, twenty-five dogfish, one small pollock and a wolffish. The design of the trip was to find big fish. So I avoided the haddock in favor of a few deep edges and some new areas where I had not been before. In hindsight, I should have spent some time on the haddock when they started to bite. But then again, it wasn't really what they wanted to do. We anchored and drift fished, depending on the current and depth. Only one angler fished with bait. There were very few cod flies used today.

I couldn't tell you who was high hook only because whomever it was only had probably, at most, seven fish. Maybe six. Gloria Gennari (MA) had more than five legal, as did Tim Williams (CT) and Luke Arno (CT). Luke Arno won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, a 28 pound Maine state trophy white hake. This is his largest ocean fish and the Bunny Clark's largest hake of the season so far. He also won the boat pool for the third largest fish with the third largest fish, a 23 pound white hake. I took a picture of Luke holding his 23 pound hake and, another, with his 28 pound hake. The digital image of the 23 pound white hake appears on the left. I'm saving the other image to use later. Luke also caught the largest cod at 9 pounds. Gloria won the boat pool for the second largest fish with the second largest fish, a 26 pound Maine state trophy white hake. I took a picture of Gloria as well, holding her prize hake. This digital image appears on the right. Gloria caught at least three haddock along with other fish.

Other Angler Highlights: Steve LaPlante (CT) caught the only redfish (about 1.5 pounds), the only legal pollock (probably 6 pounds) and the only mud hake. He also caught two white hake and a couple other legal fish. Steve's largest fish was a 15 pound white hake. And, you know, those fish probably gave him high hook status. And, after the fact, seven or eight keepers was probably the most anyone caught today. Steve Selmer (NH) caught the most cusk with a count of two! Tim Williams caught the only wolffish. I didn't weigh it but it looked to be just under 10 pounds. Some of his other good fish included a 12.25 pound white hake, a 13 pound white hake and a 15 pound white hake. Carter Williams (CT) caught a 15.25 pound white hake. Ellie Williams (CT) caught the largest cusk at 9 pounds. Dan Kelley (ME) caught a cod that looked to be 10 pounds. Captain Ian told me it was less than that. Ian took the cod off the hook and released it for Dan. Cedric Garard (CT) landed the hard luck award for really not much hard luck. Sure, he got into a tangle. But so did others. I guess I thought he might light the t-shirt more than others!

I received three donations sponsoring me in the Pan-Mass Challenge cancer research fund raising cycling event today. Those donors and their donations included Steve LaPlante for $40.00, T Williams (CT) for $25.00 and Tony Krebs (CT) for $25.00. Thank you all from the bottom of my heart for a gift that, I believe, is so well worth it. I so much appreciate your help.

Wednesday, July 3, 2019

At 5:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 64°F, the sky was cloudless, there was no wind, the ocean along the shore was as flat as a mill pond in a terrarium and the visibility over the ocean was very good at least. Ashore, the ocean stayed flat calm for most of the morning. Before noon, the wind started to blow from the southwest. Wind speeds were just strong enough to move a flat. The wind died out later in the evening before sunset. The air temperature reached a high of 87°F, or, at least, that was the highest air temperature that I saw. The sky was cloudless for most of the morning with few clouds in the afternoon. But it wasn't a very clear sky as there was haze around the edges, giving a very soft lighting to the day. The visibility was good in haze. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 86°F with a low of 73°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was ?°F (with a low of ?°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 85°F (with a low of 63°F).

On the fishing grounds, the wind was light and variable in direction. The ocean was flat calm for the whole time fishing. The air temperature reached a high of 80°F under the shade top while on the drift. The visibility ranged from ten to fifteen miles in haze. The tide (current) was moderate. The sky was clear and sunny, the way I described it in the previous paragraph. The surface water temperature reached a high of 64°F. Both the air temperature and the surface water temperature are the two highest values we have seen the season so far.

The fishing was excellent, the catching was good to very good and the landings were good, a much better day for landings than yesterday was. But the focus today was not to target big fish but to put fish in the boat. And that's what Ian succeeded in doing. Most legal fish landed were haddock, by far. The haddock cull was almost exactly 60/40, favoring the legal sized fish. Legal landings also included one pollock and thirty-nine cusk. Released fish included three cod of 5 pounds or better, a couple small pollock, a handful of small cod and, of course, the short haddock. Drifting was the only fishing method available today. Bait caught almost every fish.

Ian couldn' t tell me who was high hook. Vallery Broquet (QC) won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, a 7.5 pound cod. Long time Bunny Clark angler, Rod Froebel (NY), caught the second largest fish, a 7 pound cusk. The third largest fish was a 5.5 pound cod caught by Chris Dixon (OH), who also caught a 4 pound cod earlier in the day.

Other Angler Highlights: Tim Burge (MA) caught a double that included a 5 pound cod and a 4.5 pound cod, the first thing this morning. Bill Socha (NH) caught a 4.5 pound cod, his largest fish. Billy Bodnar (MD) landed the hard luck award for being the only angler to get sea sick. Sometimes a very calm day does that! But not often!

I received two donations sponsoring me in my thirteenth ride with the Pan-Mass Challenge today. Rebecca & Don Stedman (TN) gave $50.00 "In memory of our brother, Jim, and for all who have gone from this terrible affliction!" The other was on on-line "egift" of $180.00 from Denise & Larry Green (MA/ME) "Kick cancer to the curb, Tim! In memory of my cousin, Pamela (one of Dr. Farber's original patients at the Jimmy Fund) and in honor of our son, a pediatric oncologist who did a fellowship at Dana-Farber. Gr8!" Thank you, all, for your help and generous support. I appreciate this so much!

Independance Day, Thursday, July 4, 2019

At 5:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 67°F, the sky was nearly cloudless, there was no wind, the ocean along the shore was calm and the visibility over the ocean was very good with, it seemed, some haze. Ashore, the morning showed a little wind from the north, no wind at all and a little wind from the southwest in the afternoon that died out to nothing. The sky stayed clear and sunny. The highest actual air temperature that I saw was 84°F. It really wasn't that humid. The visibility was good to very good in some haze. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 84°F with a low of 73°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was ?°F (with a low of ?°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 89°F (with a low of 65°F).

On the fishing grounds, there was no wind. The ocean stayed flat calm the whole time fishing. The air temperature reached a high of 81°F under the shade top, the highest air temperature was have seen on the fishing grounds to date. The visbility ranged from three to five miles in haze. The sky was sunny and hazy clear all day. Another day of soft lighting. The tide (current) was light. The surface water temperature reached a high of 64°F.

The fishing was excellent. The conditions could not have been better. The catching was very good if you include cod, dogfish, short haddock and wolffish. Landings were remarkably good. Most legal fish landed were haddock, by far. The haddock cull was 55/45, in favor of the legal sized fish. Legal landings also included three whiting and twenty-four mackerel. Released fish included one cod of 5 pounds or more, a small handful of short cod, a small pollock or two, four wolffish and fifty-five dogfish. Drifting was the only boating method available to them. All terminal gear worked equally well.

Joe Columbus (MA) was high hook with the most legal fish - again. He has sailed with us five to seven times and each time he has been high hook. His haddock count was twelve legal, the bag limit, and the only person to attain it today. Richard Bronder (ME) won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, a 15 pound wolffish. This is the Bunny Clark's fifth largest wolffish of the season to date. The second largest fish was a 13 pound wolffish caught by Rupert Wallace (DC). Rodney Miller (MA) caught the third and fourth largest fish today. Those fish included an 11 pound wolffish and an 8 pound wolffish. Steve Martineau (MA) landed the hard luck award for not catching a single legal fish. He did catch the largest cod. But it was under 10 pounds. And he released the cod before Ian had a chance to actually weigh it. It was the only cod of 5 pounds or more caught today.

Dana Decormier and I hosted the Annual Locals Bunny Clark Fireworks Cruise this evening. We left the dock at 8:00 PM, cruised to a spot off Ogunquit Beach in six feet of water, anchored and waited for the fireworks to begin. The fireworks started at about 9:20 PM, and went on until about 10:00 PM. It was, probably, the best fireworks display we have seen in Ogunquit. And it made up for last year's short fall. Dana helped me get the lines and fenders ready before we got back to Perkins Cove. I have to say, it was much smoother with Dana around! I got home at 10:45 PM.

I received two generous donations supportiing my cancer fund raising addiction with the Pan-Mass Challenge today. Richard Bronder gave $95.00 while Rodney Miller, Jr. gave $100.00 in memory of his father, Rodney Miller, Sr., who passed away from cancer yesterday. A heart felt thank you, particularly for Rodney, from yours truly for helping me in this project and for being the wonderfully generous and caring people who you are. I certainly appreciate this.

Friday, July 5, 2019

At 5:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 62°F, the sky was hazy clear, there was no wind, the ocean along the shore was flat ass calm and the visibility over the ocean was good in haze, no better than that. The wind was light for most of the morning, the direction from the south southwest. After noon, the wind increased out of the southwest to about fifteen knots, dropping off in the evening. The sky was hazy clear all day. The air temperature reached a high of 85°F, that I saw. The visibility was good in haze. It was humid today, more humid than the last two days. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 90°F with a low of 71°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was ?°F (with a low of ?°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 87°F (with a low of 63°F).

On the fishing grounds, the wind was calm to southwest at five knots or less in the early part of the morning drift. Later in the morning, the wind increased out of the southwest. By noon, the wind speed was ten knots. After noon, the southwest wind increased to fifteen knots. Seas went from calm to two or more feet in chops. The air temperature reached a pleasant value of 73°F. The visibility ranged from five to ten miles in haze. The tide (current) was strong. The sky was hazy clear and sunny all day. The surface water temperature reached a high of 64°F.

The fishing was very good overall. The catching was good to very good. Landings were good. The fish were small again today, with one exception. Most legal fish landed were haddock. The haddock cull was 55/45, favoring the legal sized fish. Legal landings also included four pollock, one cusk, a whiting and six mackerel. Released fish included five cod of 5 pounds or more, twelve small cod, a small pollock or two, sixty dogfish and two wolffish. Drifting was the method. Bait worked best.

Ian couldn't tell me who was high hook. Jim Quinney (NH) should have won the boat pool for the biggest fish with the biggest fish, a wolffish that was between 13 and 15 pounds. Unfortunately, it was barely hooked. In trying to get it aboard by the jig, the fish fell off the hook, back into the water and, swimming, down to the bottom. It's illegal to keep wolffish. So gaffing one is not really an option. The largest fish that Jim caught that could actually be weighed was a cod weighing 6 pounds, the second largest fish of the trip. Ian did give Jim the hard luck award for losing a potential trophy fish and the boat pool! John Russell (ME) won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, a 7 pound cod. John also caught the third largest fish, a 5.5 pound cod.

Other Angler Highlights: Gary Hammond, Jr. (NY) caught a 5 pound cod, his biggest fish. Glen Gerrish (ME) caught a 4 pound cod. There were no haddock today over 3 pounds.

I received two donations sponsoring me in the cancer fund raising cycling event called the Pan-Mass Challenge today. Bruce & Sheila Wilson (FL) donated $50.00 in the form of an "egift" through the PMC site. They have been helping me out every year. Bill & Michele Hazlett (MA) donated $25.00 today as well. Thank you, all, for your help and support. I appreciate the time, effort, generosity and for just being so kind. It really means a great deal to me!

Saturday, July 6, 2019

At 5:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 67°F, the sky was hazy clear, there was no wind, the ocean along the shore was calm and the visibility over the ocean was good in haze. Ashore, it didn't take long for the air temperature to rise. By noon, it was 85°F. By 3:00 PM, it reached 90°F. That was the highest air temperature that I saw. It was very humid today but not as bad as I have seen it. The wind came up out of the southwest an hour after sunrise. By 8:00 AM, it had increased to ten knots. By noon, the wind had hauled out of the west at fifteen knots. The westerly wind was responsible for the warmer than normal temperatures. The sky was hazy clear until about 3:30 PM, when the sky became so thick with clouds that it looked overcast. We had thunder storms roll by over York to the south of us. We didn't see any thunder storms. We heard the occasional rumble in the distance but no thunder showers here. It started raining lightly around 4:00 PM and then rained intermittently until 8:00 PM. Mostly the rain was light. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 95°F with a low of 75°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was ?°F (with a low of ?°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 91°F (with a low of 67°F).

On the fishing grounds, the wind blew out of the southwest at ten to, later, fifteen knots. Seas were about two feet in chops. The air temperature reached a high of 73°F under the canopy top. The sky was sunny in a hazy sky. The visibility ranged from five to ten miles in haze. The tide (current) was moderate. The surface water temperature reached a high of 64°F.

The fishing was good as were the catching and landings. Most legal fish landed were haddock. The haddock cull was one to one, for every two haddock caught, one was of legal size. Legal landings also included three cusk, seven pollock and fifteen mackerel. Released fish included five cod of 5 pounds (or slightly more), twenty dogfish and a few smaller cod and pollock. They anchored and drift fished. Bait worked best.

There was not mention of high hook by the man in charge today. Three anglers tied for the largest fish of the trip at 5.5 pounds. One of them, Nolan Lumley (NH) did not enter the boat pool. The two that did included Raman Goncalves (MA) and Geoff Donohue (MA).

Other Angler Highlights: Peter Serrentino (NH) caught a 5 pound cod, his largest fish. Todd Pizzella (NJ) also caught a 5 pound cod. Marcel Laberge (VT) landed the hard luck award for becoming the highest of the hurlers today. I guess it was a tough go for him, as he explained to me at the dock. But he was pretty much over it by the time we had the discussion.

Sunday, July 7, 2019

At 5:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 66°F, the sky was hazy clear, there was no wind, the ocean along the shore was calm and the visibility over the ocean was good in haze. Ashore, it was like an early warm fall day. It was perfect. The haze was gone, the sky was a brilliant blue and nearly cloudless the whole day and the visibility was excellent. The air temperature reached a high of 75°F in Perkins Cove, that I saw. The wind blew out of the northeast all morning. By 7:00 AM, the northeast wind was over ten knots. By noon, the wind was out of the east. By 4:00 PM, the wind had hauled out of the southwest along the shore. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 77°F with a low of 67°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was ?°F (with a low of ?°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 80°F (with a low of 60°F).

On the fishing grounds, the wind blew out of the northeast at fifteen knots when they first arrived and started diminishing almost immediately. By noon, the wind had dropped to five knots or less. The wind was light out of the south on the way back to Perkins Cove. Seas were chops of three feet to begin, calm by the end of the fishing. The high air temperature today was 74°F in the afternoon. The sky was clear and sunny all day with zero clouds. The visibility ranged from twenty miles out. The tide (current) was light. The surface water temperature reached a high of 63°F.

The fishing was good, no more than that, with the sea state the way it was. By the time the seas died down, it was too late for some to recover from sea sickness. The catching and landings were good. Most legal fish landed were haddock, by far. The haddock cull was 50/50 where only half of the haddock caught were legal to keep. Legal landings also included six small pollock, four cusk and fifteen mackerel. Released fish included a few cod under 4 pounds, a couple small pollock, forty-eight dogfish and a sculpin. They anchored and drift fished. Only one jig was used; everyone else used bait.

Jim Hathaway (ME) was high hook with the most legal fish. He might have had a 4 pound cod as his largest fish. If he did that fish would have tied for the second largest fish of the trip. Justin Potter (NY) won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish of the trip, 4.5 pound cusk. Jim Blanchard (ME) tied for the second largest fish with a 4 pound haddock, the largest haddock we have seen in a week. Liz Michaels (NY) landed the high hurler award and, according to Captain Ian, the worst luck of the day.

I received a very generous $500.00 donation from Jon & Fran Leavitt (NH) sponsoring me in the Pan-Mass Challenge, a cycling event to raise money to fight cancer with the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, Massachusetts. It was a wonderful surprise to receive such a large donation from them. They have supported me in this project since 2007, when I first got involved. They do give more to fight cancer overall but not through me. This year they wanted to funnel most of their cancer donation money using me as their conduit. Some of this is probably due to the specificity of sponsoring a particular researcher and kind of cancer research involving genetic profiling. whatever the reason, I am very grateful. Thank you both so much!

Monday, July 8, 2019

At 5:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 57°F, the sky was crystal clear, the wind was blowing out of the northwest at ten knots and the visibility over the ocean was excellent. Ashore, the wind blew out of the northwest for the first half of the morning. Winds were light. In the later morning, the wind hauled out of the southwest and blew up to ten knots along the shore. This wind died out later in the afternoon. I saw a high temperature in Perkins Cove of 76°F in the shade. It felt like 85°F in the sun. The sky was clear dark blue with very few clouds and no hint of humidity. The visibility was excellent. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 76°F with a low of 66°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was ?°F (with a low of ?°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 80°F (with a low of 57°F).

On the fishing grounds, the wind blew out of the north at five knots, went dead calm around noon and then hauled out of the south southeast in the afternoon. The southeast wind blew no more than five knots. The ocean's surface was calm all day. The high air temperature value was 74°F in the shade but it was hot on deck without the wind. The visibility ranged to over twenty miles. The tide (current) was light. The sky was crystal clear with a very bright sun. The surface water temperature reached the highest value we have seen this year to date at 66°F. Bath water!

The fishing was excellent, the catching was very good indeed and landings (because of the Federal regulations) were good. Most legal fish landed were haddock, by far. And we may have seen the landings category designation as "very good" had everyone bait fished. However, almost everyone jig fished today. Even Dave Miller (MA) wasn't seen dipping his fingers into the bait bucket. And, because of this, the cod catch was higher than we have seen for weeks. The haddock cull was 60/40, favoring the legal fish. Legal landings also included nine pollock, one redfish, two cusk, one whiting and fifteen mackerel. Released fish included twenty dogfish, sixty-one cod over 5 pounds, one wolffish, a handful of small cod and two sub-legal pollock. They drift fished for the whole trip. As I said, most fished with jigs but bait caught the most haddock.

Hank Small (NH) was high hook with the most legal fish. He bait fished all day and was very successful, "ultra successful" for the beautiful day that it was. Generally, we catch less fish with the great weather conditions we had today. Not so with Hank. His largest fish was a cod that weighed 6.5 pounds. Affable John Cadorette, Sr. (MA) won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, a 12 pound wolffish. His largest cod weighed 8 pounds. The second largest fish was a 10.5 pound pollock caught by Blayne Colvin (NY). Blayne also tied with John Cavorette, Jr. (MA) for the third largest fish at 10 pounds each. John's was a cod while Blayne caught a 10 pound cod and a 10 pound pollock! Some of John's other fish included a 7 pound cod and an 8 pound cod. Some Blayne's other fish included a 6.5 pound cod.

Other Angler Highlights: Shane Bailey (MA) caught an 8.5 pound cod, his largest fish. Chase Barnhart (MA) caught a cod that weighed 7.5 pounds. Zach Freitas (MA) caught a 9 pound cod, his biggest fish. Dick Lyle (NY) caught an 8.5 pound cod, his biggest landed fish. His biggest fish is still out there. He hooked into a big fish of some kind, possibly a tuna or some kind of requiem shark. It was very fast and changed directions often. He had it on for ten minutes before it broke off. I don't know how it broke off either. Dick always has his drag adjusted perfectly. Whatever, he broke his jig off in the process and landed the hard luck award because of it! Better that than being sea sick!

I received several donations sponsoring me in my cancer fund raising cycling event called the Pan-Mass Challenge, due to take place on Saturday, August 3rd. Those donors and their donations included Mary Curry (NY) for a generous $120.00 "egift" through the PMC site, Lou & Barb Carangelo (MA) for $40.00, Hank Small for $25.00 and Dick & Kathy Lyle for a generous $100.00. Thank you all so very much for thinking of me, for the generous people who you are and the support you give me. I couldn't do it without you!

Monday, July 8, 2019

At 9:00 PM EDT the air temperature was 57°F, the sky was crystal clear, the wind was blowing out of the northwest at ten knots and the visibility over the ocean was excellent.

At 4:30 PM, I had finished ordering for the next day's business at Barnacle Billy's and had some spare time before the Bunny Clark came in. I was able to gather my provisions at home for this nights offshore on the Bunny Clark and meet the boat after it came back from today's extreme day trip. While I brought stuff aboard, Estes Oil was fueling the boat and anglers were getting their fish from today's extreme day trip before leaving to drive home. Amazingly, I was done at the Bunny Clark by 5:30 PM, had dinner by 6:30 PM and was able to get an hour's sleep before getting back down to Perkins Cove at 8:30 PM.

At 8:45 PM, I was informed that the manager in charge had closed the restaurant because they had a back-up in the plumbing system. I was asked by Stu Dunn, my man in charge what I wanted to do. Of course, this is the last thing I wanted to hear before leaving for a night of traveling offshore in the Bunny Clark! I made some calls and was told that help would arrive at 10:30 PM. In the meantime, I set everything up so that I could help via sat phone in case of need. By 10:00 PM, I had collected all the fares, had given the speech and was headed down the channel and out to the open ocean. [I checked later and found out that everything had been worked out for the next day's restaurant business.]

I steered for the first half hour or more while Ian and Anthony got everyone set up with rod/reel and equipment. The weather was perfect with light northwest wind, clear skies, warm temperatures and very good visibility. The NWS had warned of fog but I knew they were wrong and just covering all the bases. Locally, they are always wrong with weather predictions, enough so that I am surprised when they get it right. Ian Keniston took over the steering at 11:00 PM. I took a bunk.

Tim Tuesday, July 9, 2019

I got up at 4:00 AM with twelve miles to go before the first spot. I relieved Ian so he could sleep while Anthony (who had slept on the ride out) and I ran the show until Ian felt rested enough to get back on deck. By that time the deck was loaded with fish and Anthony and I were running around like idiots. Before that I had an easy transition before the fishing. The ocean was flat calm, the wind direction and current was from the northwest, the air temperature was 71°F and the visibility was excellent.

On the fishing grounds, the ocean was calm all day. The northwest wind died out leaving the ocean glassy for a while before the light westerly wind struck. The west wind was no more than three knots for a few hours after sunrise. Eventually, the wind hauled out of the southwest but it wasn't until late afternoon when that happened. The roughest weather we saw was about thirty miles from home headed in with an eight knot southwest breeze and seas in chops of a foot. By that time, all the fillets had been bagged and the boat had been cleaned. By the time we were ten miles from shore the wind had left us with a calm ocean surface. The air temperature reached a high of 73°F. The tide (current) was light all morning, moderate and, later, strongish. The sky was clear and sunny all day. The visibility ranged to over twenty miles. The surface water temperature reached a high just shy of 65°F. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 89°F with a low of 69°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was ?°F (with a low of ?°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 87°F (with a low of 58°F).

The fishing was excellent, the catching was excellent, landings were excellent and fish size was excellent, probably the best Ultra Marathon I have hosted in ten years. Most legal fish landed were pollock, by far, followed by haddock, cusk and white hake, in that order. Legal landings also included a halibut, a monkfish and two redfish. Released fish included fifty-one dogfish, forty-seven cod over 5 pounds, seven small cod, five sub-legal pollock, two wolffish and twelve sub-legal haddock. The haddock cull was almost all legal haddock to 5 pounds with a few 4 pounders mixed in. We drift fished and anchored. All terminal gear worked well.

There was no way to tell whom was high hook. Ray Westermann (MA) might have had the most haddock with a count just shy of thirty legal. Jonathan "Griff" Griffin (MA) landed the most Maine state trophy fish with a count of eight. Steve LaPlante (CT) won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, a 54 pound Maine state trophy white hake. This is his largest ever white hake, the Bunny Clark's largest hake this season and tied for the largest hake we have seen on the Bunny Clark since a 55 pounder was caught in 1985. Steve Selmer's (NH) 54 pound white hake that was caught on last year's Ultra became the new IGFA all tackle world last winter. So, really, Steve LaPlante's hake caught today could have theoretically become the new world record - and would have, had Selmer not caught his last season. I took a picture of Steve with his huge trophy hake. This digital image appears on the left. Some of Steve LaPlante's other good fish included a 13 pound pollock, a 12.5 pound Maine state trophy cusk, a 32 pound Maine state trophy white hake and a 20 pound white hake. Griff won the boat pool for the second largest fish with the second largest fish, a 46.5 pound Maine state trophy white hake. Some of Griff's other good fish included a 37 pound Maine state trophy white hake, a 14 pound Maine state trophy cusk, a 16 pound Maine state trophy cusk, a 21 pound white hake, another 14 pound Maine state trophy cusk and a 33 pound Maine state trophy white hake. Ray Westermann won the boat pool for the third largest fish with the third largest fish, a 46 pound Maine state trophy white hake. Ray also caught a 17.75 pound Maine state trophy cusk and a 12.5 pound Maine state trophy cusk.

Other Angler Highlights: Dave Miller (MA) caught an 18 pound Maine state trophy cusk, a 19.25 pound Maine state trophy cusk, a 17 pound Maine state trophy cusk and a 24.5 pound white hake. I took a picture of Dave holding his two biggest cusk. This digital image appears on the right. Fred Kunz (NH) was his usual "fish-a-cast" self. Some of his great fish included a 20.5 pound Maine state trophy cusk, the largest cusk he has ever caught. He also landed a 28.75 pound Maine state trophy white hake, a 17.5 pound Maine state trophy cusk, an 18.25 pound Maine state trophy cusk, a 12 pound pollock and a 13.5 pound pollock. He also caught plenty of haddock.

Mark LaRocca (NY) caught the largest hake he has ever caught, a 43 pound Maine state trophy. He also caught a 33 pound Maine state trophy white hake, a 15.5 pound Maine state trophy cusk, a 33 pound Maine state trophy white hake, a 13.5 pound pollock and a cod that weighed 11.5 pounds. He also landed the hard luck award for losing two jigs. He had a porbeagle shark or a mako shark on his line at one point, the shark taking a fish. But the shark never got hooked. We had two other really big fish on but we never did see those fish.

Tim Rozan (ME) caught his fourth halibut with me today. He has caught four halibut in three years while fishing on the Bunny Clark. His largest weighed 68 pounds, caught two years ago. His halibut today weighed 30.5 pounds. It was just legal at forty-two inches but most of the anglers today have caught halibut before or seen them and eaten them. And since it was early in the trip, we released it alive without even taking a picture of it. I didn't even measure it as I have never seen a 30 pound halibut that wasn't legal. As it turns out we never saw another halibut. Nor did we even hook another. But no one really minded. Tim caught the largest haddock at 5 pounds, a 17.25 pound cod, a 34 pound Maine state trophy white hake, an 18.25 pound Maine state trophy cusk, a 14.75 pound Maine state trophy cusk, a 30.5 pound Maine state trophy white hake and quite a few pollock.

Captain Bryan Lewer (FL/ME) caught his first monkfish today. It weighed 8 pounds. He caught the fourth largest fish of the trip, a 44.5 pound Maine state trophy white hake and he caught a 20 pound Maine state trophy. Lewis Hazelwood (MA) caught the largest double of the Bunny Clark fishing season today. He double included a 40 pound Maine state trophy white hake and a 30.5 pound Maine state trophy white hake, both fish caught on the same line at the same time! That is going to be hard to beat this season! Lew also caught a 13 pound Maine state trophy cusk, a 38.5 pound Maine state trophy white hake, a 31.5 pound Maine state trophy white hake and a 30 pound Maine state trophy white hake.

Dan Killay (VT) caught the biggest cod of the day at 19 pounds. He also caught a 15 pound cod. His largest pollock weighed 13.5 pounds. Some of his other good fish included a 12.5 pound Maine state trophy cusk, an 18 pound white hake, a 31 pound Maine state trophy white hake and a 23 pound white hake. Adam Towle (NH) caught the largest cusk I have seen since last season at 29 pounds, a Maine state trophy by 17 pounds! This cusk comes in tied for the tenth largest Bunny Clark cusk of all time and tied for tenth largest since I started taking anglers fishing in 1975. I took a picture of Adam with his huge cusk. This digital image appears on the left. He also had some huge game fish on the line that jumped out of the water and broke his line. No one saw the fish when it jumped, just the splash afterward. Some of his other good fish included a 36 pound Maine state trophy white hake, a 23.5 pound white hake, a 24 pound white hake and another white hake of 20 pounds. He might have caught the second most haddock today. Steve Selmer (NH) caught back to back 38 pound Maine state trophy white hake, two of them. He also caught two Maine state trophy cusk. One weighed 12.5 pounds and the other weighed 13 pounds. Steve caught plenty of fish today.

Wednesday, July 10, 2019

Happy Birthday to my Brother, Court, and my Sister, Cathy!

At 5:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 67°F, the sky was hazy clear, there was no wind, the ocean along the shore was calm and the visibility over the ocean was good in haze. Ashore, today, we had a westerly land breeze that really wasn't much and was restricted to the shore alone. The ocean along the shore was calm all day. There was a hazy sky and haze kept the visibility no better than the "good" category. The air temperature rose up over 80°F but, honestly, I never did look at a thermometer. This is what the general public told me. It seemed hot to me and long pants were too much. Later in the afternoon/evening, we had partly cloudy skies. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 88°F with a low of 73°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was ?°F (with a low of ?°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 81°F (with a low of 62°F).

On the fishing grounds, the ocean was calm all day. Winds were light and variable in direction. The air temperature reached a high of 78°F. The tide (current) was light for the entire time. The sky was overcast. The visibility ranged from ten to fifteen miles. The surface water temperature reached a high of 64°F.

The fishing was excellent, the catching was very good if you included the dogfish (maybe excellent) and the landings were good, at best. Most legal fish landed were haddock, by far. The haddock cull was 65/35, favoring the legal fish. Legal landings also included four pollock and ten cusk. Released fish included seventy-six dogfish, four cod over 5 pounds, six or seven small cod, a couple small pollock and the sub-legal haddock. Drifting was the boating method. Bait worked best.

Ian couldn't tell me who was high hook. Nine year old Colby Pappas (ME) won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, an 8 pound cod. Actually, Lou Shoenig (ME) also caught an 8 pound cod but he wasn't in the boat pool. The third largest fish was a 6 pound cod caught by Will Council (TX). Bob Best (NH) landed the hard luck award for losing a single jig.

Keith Weber and I ran the afternoon (4 PM to 8 PM) half day trip.

The ocean was calm all evening, the wind light from the east southeast. The sky was mostly sunny with clouds evident in a hazy sky. The visibility was about ten miles. On the fishing grounds, the air temperature reached a high of 74°F. The tide (current) was light. The surface water temperature reached a high of 67°F.

The fishing was excellent; there was little tide and the sea state and weather were very conducive to novice anglers. The catching was good if you included the dogfish. Landings were fair. Legal landings included six haddock, one pollock and one cusk. Released fish included over twenty dogfish, seven small cod and a sub-legal pollock. We anchored for every spot. Only one jig was used, and that, sparingly. Bait was best but it also caught dogfish.

There really was no high hook this evening. But Sam Rothburd (FL) showed the most alacrity with the rod and reel. He's an angling talent hidden in a child's body. He used the jig stick/jig and caught a dogfish, fighting it like a pro. And he ended up catching the second largest fish of the evening, a 2.75 pound cusk. He went to Barnacle Billy's, Etc. later that evening with his family and had our chef cook up the cusk to eat along with his order. I will find out tomorrow how he liked his meal. Chris Brindle (PA) won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, a 3.1 pound cod. The third largest fish, caught by Tim Holzapfel (PA), was a 2 pound haddock that had his tail bitten off by a dogfish. The missing tail wouldn't have been enough to get the fish to 3 pounds. Seven year old Bennett Tersigni (NH) landed the hard luck award for catching the most dogfish.

I received two donations of sponsorship towards my cancer fund raising cycling ride with the Pan-Mass Challenge this evening. One was a $40.00 gift from Alyson Tersigni (NH). The other was a $20.00 donation from Kara Steere (NH). Thank you both so very much for support your support in cancer research. It means a lot to me but so much more to those in dire need. Much appreciated!

Thursday, July 11, 2019

At 5:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 61°F, the sky was hazy/partly cloudy, the wind was light out of the east southeast, the ocean along the shore was calm and the visibility over the ocean was fairly good in haze. The day remained kind of cloudy with the occasional bit of sun. We had fog and high humidity levels. The air temperature only got up as high as 71°F but, with the humidity, it felt like it was over 80°F. The fog was in and out in the morning but came in for good after noon and remained with us through the evening. The afternoon clouded up and became overcast as well, completely overcast by 5:00 PM. The rain started at 6:00 PM and continued, mostly light, on into the night. The visibility was poor for most of the day. The wind was light out of the southeast in the morning and as high as fifteen knots when the rain came. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 86°F with a low of 71°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was ?°F (with a low of ?°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 69°F (with a low of 60°F).

I spent the whole morning trying to get caught up and taking some time to put out feelers for a new deck hand. I communicated with two potential mates during the day. The rest of the day I spent in the restaurant catching up in the office and doing my normal thing. I took a much needed nap around 4:00 PM and then continued my work at the restaurants afterward until we closed. Shortly afterward I retired for the night.

Friday, July 12, 2019

At 5:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 66°F, the sky was overcast, it was raining lightly, there was no wind to write about along the shore, you couldn't see the ocean because of the fog and the visibility over it was poor in fog and light precipitation. It rained periodically and light for anther couple of hours before stopping completely. We never saw another drop of rain until 8:30 PM. And, then, the rain was light and only lasted for about fifteen minutes. There was very little wind all day. The predominant wind direction was from the south. For most of the day the flags were limp. The visibility was poor in fog all day except for a spell from 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM when it backed off revealing a calm ocean. After 5:00 PM, it rolled back in as thick as it ever gets, blocking our view of the footbridge from the restaurants. It stayed foggy all night. The highest air temperature that I saw was 76°F. For most of the day you could see the sun through the fog. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 82°F with a low of 69°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was ?°F (with a low of ?°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 78°F (with a low of 65°F).

On the fishing grounds, the wind was light and variable in direction all day. Seas were long rolling swells of two to four feet. The surface of the ocean was glassy. Ian didn't get an air temperature value but did say it was very warm. The tide was light. The visibility ranged from a quarter of a mile to a mile in fog. The sky was overcast or seemed so with the fog. The surface water temperature reached a high of 63°F.

The fishing was excellent, as was the catching and the landings. Most legal fish landed were haddock, the bag limit easily attained for the first time in a while. The haddock cull 65/35, favoring the legal fish. Plus, the average haddock size was bigger. Legal landings also included five pollock and one whiting. Released fish included fifty cod from 5 to 14.5 pounds, a few smaller cod and pollock, two wolffish and one dogfish. They drift fished for the day. All terminal gear worked well but bait caught the most haddock.

Dick Lyle (NY) was the fisherman of the day. He was high hook with the most legal fish and he caught the two largest fish of the trip. He won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest (or second largest) fish, a 14.5 pound cod. His second largest fish was a cod that weighed 13 pounds. He also had the fourth largest fish, a 12 pound cod. The third largest fish was a 12.5 pound pollock caught by Anna Croy (ME). She also landed the hard luck award for being the only person to get sea sick!

Other Angler Highlights: Chris Helanger (ME) caught the first fish to weigh, a 6 pound cod. He went on to catch a 10 pound cod and a cod that weighed 10.5 pounds. Ryan Apt (CT) caught a 7 pound cod and an 8 pound cod. Benjamin Galiveau (QC) caught a 7 pound cod and a 3.5 pound haddock, the third largest haddock of the trip. Mark Conley (ME) caught the largest haddock of the trip, a 5 pounder. The second largest haddock was a 4.5 pound fish caught by Kris Conley (ME). Walter Sawicki (CT) caught an 11.5 pound cod, his biggest fish.

Satuday, July 13, 2019

At 5:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 65°F, the sky was nearly cloudless, there was no wind to write about, the ocean calm along the shore and the visibility over it was good in a light haze. Ashore, we had no wind. What wind we did have was light and variable. The ocean was calm along the shore, a good boating day . In the evening, the wind came up out of the southwest at, maybe, ten knots. The sun was out all day in a mostly cloudless sky. The air temperature reached a high, that I saw, of 79°F. The visibility was good in haze. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 82°F with a low of 69°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was ?°F (with a low of ?°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 78°F (with a low of 65°F).

On the fishing grounds, the wind was light and variable in direction. The ocean's surface was calm over a rolling sea swell that measured three to five feet in height. The air temperature under the canopy reached a high of 71°F. But, on deck in the sun, it was hot. The tide was very light. The sky was sunny all day. The visibility ranged from ten to fifteen miles. The surface water temperature reached a high of 64°F.

The fishing was excellent, the catching was very good and landings were good to very good. Most legal fish landed were haddock, by far. There a few bigger haddock today, bigger than yesterday. The haddock cull was 55/45, favoring the sub-legal haddock, for a change. Legal landings also included one pollock, twelve cusk and twelve mackerel. Released fish included six cod of 5 pounds or more, a handful of small cod, a sub-legal pollock, three dogfish and the short haddock. They drift fished for the whole time out there. All terminal gear worked equally well.

Dave Micu (MA) was high hook with the most legal fish. His best fish was a 5 pound haddock. Jim Stanley (ME) won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, an 8 pound cod. He also caught the largest haddock we have seen in some time, weighing in at six pounds. Captain Ian took a picture of Jim with his fish. This digital image appears on the left. The second largest fish was a 7.5 pound cusk caught by Jason Ashton (ME). Nate Hix (ME) caught the third largest fish, a 7 pound cod.

Other Angler Highlights: Marni Sawyer (NH) started out leading the boat pool with a 5 pound cod, the first fish that Ian weighed. Tom Mee (MI) caught the second largest haddock at 5.25 pounds. Sam Samiya (ME) caught a 6.5 pound cod, his best fish. Scott Clockedile (ME) landed the hard luck award for attaining high hurler status. He was not the only one who was sea sick today.

Captain Ian Keniston and Anthony Palumbo ran the half day (4PM - 8PM) trip today. The air temperature at the dock was warm, the sky was clear, the visibility was good and the ocean was cam when they headed out the gate to the inshore grounds. On the fishing grounds, the wind had come up out of the southwest to ten knots. Seas were chops of one to two feet over a sea swell of two to three feet. The sky was sunny. The tide was light. The air temperature high was 72°F and the surface water temperature reached a high of 65°F.

The fishing was excellent, the catching on the fair side of things and landings were poor. Not a single legal fish was caught. Released fish included about ten small cod. They anchored and drift fished. Everyone used bait.

Andrea Aragon (QC) caught the largest fish, a 2.5 pound cod but was not in the boat pool. Diane Farrel (VT) won the boat pool for the largest fish with the second largest fish, a 2 pound cod. The third largest fish was a 1.25 pound cod caught by Chris Budds (MA), who also caught a cod that weighed 1 pounds.

Other Angler Highlights: Erik Thibault (NH) caught two cod of a pound each. Tim Harder (ME) caught a cod that weighed .75 pounds and another that weighed 1 pound. Kristy Bower (ME) caught a cod that weighed a pound. She also landed the hard luck award for being the first to hurl.

I received two donations sponsoring me in my quest for a world free of cancer with the Pan-Mass Challenge today. One very generous donation came from Herb & Pam Cook (NY), who have helped me every single year in the project. Their donation amount was $350.00! I also received another generous $100.00 donation in the form of an "egift" from Malcolm & Kathy Jepson (CA), both regular donors to my cause. Yet another donation for a generous $75.00 came from Bill & Marie Pimley (NH), also in the form of an egift. Thank you all very much for your support, generosity and kindness. I appreciate this support so very much and am humbled that you would choose me as your conduit to the cause.

Sunday, July 14, 2019

At 5:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 68°F, the sky was clear, there was no wind to write about, the ocean was calm along the shore and the visibility over it was good in haze. It was hazy day to begin with. And the air temperature increased to a level, with the humidity, that made it a bit uncomfortable in places. But closer to the afternoon we saw the humidity lessen. The evening was quite spectacular with warm temperatures and light winds. The day started out with little wind, hauling out of the southwest late in the morning and then out of the west for the rest of the day. The west wind brought the heat. The highest air temperature that I saw in Perkins Cove was 89°F. The sky was clear all day with no threat of thunder showers. The visibility with good in haze. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 91°F with a low of 74°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was ?°F (with a low of ?°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 85°F (with a low of 65°F).

On the fishing grounds, the weather was also very good. The wind blew out of the southwest at five knots or less. Seas were calm with a light wind ruffle on the surface of the ocean. The air temperature was a comfortable 72°F under the canopy top but hot, because of the calm weather, out on deck. The sky was sunny all day. The tide was light. The visibility ranged from ten to fifteen miles. The surface water temperature reached a high of 66°F, the highest value we have seen this season so far.

The fishing was excellent, the catching was very good and landings were good. Most legal fish landed were haddock, by far. The haddock cull was 50/50. Legal landings also included eight pollock and six cusk. Released fish included twelve cod of 5 pounds or better, over thirty-five cod smaller than that, quite a few small pollock and zero dogfish. Drifting was the method. All terminal gear worked well today.

Miki Alroy (MA) was nearly the fisherman of the day today. He was high hook with the most legal fish and he caught the second largest fish of the trip, a 7.5 pound pollock. This was the largest pollock caught today. One of Miki's dory mates, Dickie Morgan (MA) won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, an 8 pound cod. Dicki also tied for the third largest fish of the trip with a 7 pound cod. Alex Williams (NM) also caught a 7 pound cod to tie for third place.

Other Angler Highlights: Amy Mucciarone (MA) caught a 6.5 pound cod, her largest fish and the fifth largest fish of the trip. She also was awarded the hard luck today for having her birthday and wedding anniversary on the same day. Obviously, Ian had no good reason for anyone to receive the hard luck award today.

I received a $25.00 donation sponsoring me in my cancer research project with the Pan-Mass Challenge from Chris Williams (NM) today. Thank you so much, Chris, for your kindness and support. I very much appreciate the help. Others, of course, who may never know of your kindness, will certainly benefit more! All the best to you!

Monday, July 15, 2019

At 5:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 63°F, the sky was clear, the wind was blowing out of the west just shy of ten knots and the visibility over the ocean was very good. The air temperature increased again but not as quickly as it did yesterday. Nor was it as humid. The highest air temperature that I saw was 82°F. And that was at 2:30 PM. The wind blew out of the west for most of the morning and then hauled out of the northwest in the afternoon to about ten knots. Because of the light offshore breeze, the ocean was calm along the shore. The air was so clear that had it been twenty degrees colder it would have looked and felt like a fall day. The visibility was nearly excellent. The sky was nearly cloudless. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 91°F with a low of 74°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was ?°F (with a low of ?°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 82°F (with a low of 60°F).

I didn't do anything much different today. I did have to take my mother to the Pathology Lab at York Hospital to have blood work done for her appointment with her GP on Thursday morning. But that only took an hour and a half. I had already finished all my restaurant work by the time I was ready to take her. I posted this web page after we got back, jumped on the bike for a quick thirty miles and then was back at Barnacle Billy's restaurant before noon. I worked there until 5:00 PM and then set to work provisioning the Bunny Clark for our Special Offshore Fishing Trip leaving at 11:00 PM this evening.

Captain Ian Keniston, Anthony Palumbo, Dick Lyle and I ran the SOFT tonight and tomorrow.

At 10:00 PM, the air temperature was 73°F, the wind was light out of the west, the sky was clear with a full moon over the horizon and the visibility was excellent. I gave a short speech to anglers who have heard the speech so many times that most could probably do a better job with it than I. But included in the speech was the new rule that any halibut that weighed under 50 pounds was going back. Needless to say, everyone was excited with the propects of even seeing one, let alone catching one and letting it go.

As I handled the Ultra, I steered out until everything was settled enough for Ian to take over the helm and be comfortable in so doing. We chatted for a bit until my plan for the night was evident to both of us and that he knew to get me up for anything that he needed help with or any uncertainty.Ian is the most trusted man I know behind the wheel of a vessel. With that trust comes the knowledge, gained over the many years that we have fished together, that he would not hesitate to get me if needed. And that he would be truthful in all of it. With that in my head, I retired to the bunk.

Tuesday, July 16, 2019

On the fishing grounds, the wind was so light as to not even be there. In fact, we were on our first spot an hour before sunrise with a slight breeze. By sunrise, there was no wind at all; flat, glassy calm. Later in the morning, we had a light northwest wind. Maybe two knots? That wind died out at noon. We didn't see any more wind until 2:00 PM, when it came up out of the southwest. We had five knots of southwest wind on the grounds. On the ride home, that wind increased to eight or ten knots and then hauled out of the south southwest as we neared shore. We were half way home before the wind speed went over five knots. Seas were a foot in chops at the most, on the second half of the journey home. The highest air temperature that I saw was 77°F. That was around noon. The tide (current) was moderate but perfect for drifting. The sky was mostly clear and bright with only a few high cirrus clouds to dull the full force of the sun. The ocean was flat calm the whole day with no discernable sea swell. The visibility ranged to over twenty miles. The surface water temperature reached a high of 71.8°F, the highest surface water temperature value we have seen this season.

Ashore, these were the air temperatures in selected New England cities: In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 90°F with a low of 71°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was ?°F (with a low of ?°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 80°F (with a low of 60°F).

The fishing was excellent, the catching was excellent, the landings were excellent and fish size was excellent. It was a day that may be impossible to match in the future and, certainly, a trip we will never be able to repeat this year. It was a fish a cast all day. Most legal fish landed were pollock, by far. I had a hard time staying away from them until I figured that out. And these pollock averaged about 12 pounds with no sub-legal pollock and the smallest one being a 5 pounder. We had many in the 15 pound category, most of which I really couldn't weigh because there was too much going on. Legal haddock were behind the pollock a ways in count. There was no haddock cull. Every haddock we caught, save nine of them, were legal. Even some of the nine haddock we released were probably legal. Legal landings also included five cusk and one halibut. Released fish included five small cod, ninety-one cod from 6 pounds to 31.5 pounds, eighteen wolffish, fifty-two dogfish, one thorny skate and six halibut, all but two of legal size. We drift fished for the entire trip. Only jigs and flies were used except for Maria Harding (ME) who used one of Ian Keniston's special snelled Owners circle hook rigs.

Joe Columbus (MA) or Dick Lyle (NY) were high hook with the most legal fish. And, in fact, I would have to go with Joe for high hook because when Joe was catching haddock, Dick was catching cod. In fact, Dick caught the three largest cod of the trip. Joe's largest fish was a 33 pound halibut caught late in the day. This is the first legal sized halibut that Joe has ever caught. We took a quick picture and he released it as we already had a legal halibut aboard. Dick's largest fish was a 31.5 pound cod, the Bunny Clark's largest cod of the fishing season so far. I took a picture of Dick with his nice cod just before he released it. This digital image appears on the left. Some of Dick's other good fish included a 20 pound cod, a 22 pound cod, an 11 pound pollock (the first thing this morning), a 15.5 pound cod, a 15 pound pollock, a 15 pound wolffish and another 11 pound pollock that I weighed for some unknown reason. Joe had one of the top five Bunny Clark doubles, his best included a 15.5 pound pollock and a 13 pound pollock, both fish caught on the same line at the same time. Other fish of Joe's that I weighed included three pollock of 11 pounds each, a 12 pound pollock and a 16 pound wolffish.

Tim Rozan (ME) won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, an 89 pound halibut. This is the Bunny Clark's sixth largest halibut all time and Tim's fifth halibut caught on the Bunny Clark in three years. It's also the biggest halibut that he has ever caught. And it was very exciting. We had released five keeper halibut of legal size before I decided to take this one. Some of Tim's other fish that I weighed included a 4.25 pound haddock, a 4.5 pound haddock and a 17.25 pound wolffish. The wolffish is the third largest of the Bunny Clark fishing season so far.

Donna Moran (NY) won the boat pool for the second largest fish with the second largest fish, a 49 pound halibut. This is the first halibut that she has ever caught. And I was on her like a damp rag telling her what to do and what not to do. I'm not sure that she appreciated my intervention. But, because of my "help", she was able to get the fish boated, weighed with a quick picture and released. I took a couple of pictures of her holding this fish after Anthony got it in place so she could keep it up for a shot. This digital image appears on the right. She caught many cod over 10 pounds, pollock up to 14 pounds and many haddock. I was never able to weigh any fish of hers until she caught the halibut. I should note here that she lost a halibut earlier in the day. I told myself that if she ever got another one on, I was going to be there making sure that everything was done well enough to at least see it. Sometimes things work out.

Mark Laroche (VT) won the boat pool for the third largest fish with the third largest fish, a 38 pound legal halibut. This fish was caught about mid morning but I made him release it as I didn't want lose the chance of a getting a bigger one later. This wasn't his first halibut with me and he understood all this from my speech at the beginning of the trip. I did get a good picture of his fish before it was released. It wasn't the perfect picture but it was certainly good enough. Mark should be the proud owner of the Bunny Clark's second largest double of the season. However, they were both cod and the cod hooked with the jig (a 15 plus pounder) was so lightly hooked that I couldn't weigh it without gaffing it. So I ended up letting it go. The cod I did weigh was 17 pounds. He did officially get the second largest double of the trip, the third largest double of the year (albeit, a smaller double), with a 13 pound pollock/16 pound pollock combo.

Other Angler Highlights: Bill Harding (ME) caught the largest double of the day. His double included a 20 pound pollock and a 10 pound pollock. The 20 pound pollock is our largest pollock of the Bunny Clark fishing season so far. I took a picture of Bill holding his nice pollock. This digital image appears on the left. Some of Bill's other good fish included a 13 pound cod, a 16.25 pound cod and a 17.75 pound cod. His dory mate, Marie Harding, caught an 18 pound cod, one of the largest cod of the trip. Some of her other good fish included the largest haddock of the trip at 6.5 pounds, the Bunny Clark's fifth largest haddock of the season so far. She also caught a 13 pound pollock and a 16.5 pound wolffish.

Bob Mayer (ME) became the first angler in Bunny Clark history to hook and boat a legal halibut forty minutes before sunrise, in the dark! The halibut weighed 31 pounds but I had told everyone before we left the dock that anything under 40 pounds was going to be released alive. Since he landed a 32 pound halibut a month ago that he took home off the Bunny Clark, he was all right with my decision. But I did get a good "night shot" of him holding his fish before it was released. Bob caught the most haddock. Some of his other good fish included a 15.25 pound cod and a 14.5 pound wolffish.

Lewis Hazelwood (MA) always catches a lot of fish with me. Today was no exception. Around noon, Lew caught his third halibut with me in as many years. It weighed 23.5 pounds, sub-legal for sure, but it was a halibut and I knew it was from the very start. I didn't get a picture of his fish as I have a nicer one from two years ago with his 86 pounder! Some of the other fish of his that I weighed included a 13.5 pound cod, a 14 pound pollock and a 15 pound pollock. Ty Kashmiry (ME) caught two wolffish in a row. One weighed 12.5 pounds and the other weighed 13 pounds. His largest haddock weighed 5 pounds. And one of his bigger cod weighed 16 pounds. He might have caught a bigger cod that I didn't weigh.

Jim Wescom (VT) caught the second halibut of his life, the first a 54 pounder caught almost a year ago on this trip. This time, his halibut wasn't a keeper. It weighed 22 pounds. But he seemed just as happy! In my opinion, his best fish was a 20.5 pound wolffish, the Bunny Clark's largest wolffish of the fishing season to date. I took a picture of Jim and wolffish before he released it alive. This digital image appears on the right. His son, Dan Wescom (VT), lost a halibut that I could see on the machine but didn't actually see. Some of Dan's fish that I weighed included a 14 pound pollock, a 14.5 pound pollock, a 4.5 pound haddock and a 5 pound haddock. He caught a lot of cod over 10 pounds that I did not weigh. And I forgot to mention that Donna Moran landed the hard luck award for driving up from Manhatten to go on our first trip of the year, realized it was too cold for her and drove home without me even seeing her! Anyway, I saved the shirt for her!

After this trip was all over and I was heading home, I thought to myself, how lucky we were to have planned a trip so far in advance that worked out so well. As much as I don't like to think so, I will probably be measuring every other future trip by this one as I doubt we could ever be this successful again. It was just a trip of a lifetime. I was sorry to see it end.

Wednesday, July 17, 2019

At 5:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 71°F, the sky was mostly clear, the wind was light out of the south southwest and the visibility over the ocean was very good at least. More later.

We have many angler openings for future fishing trips. You can look on line yourself by clicking the "reservations on line boat icon". These trips with openings are as follows. The weather has become much better with calmer seas and warmer air temperatures. To make a reservation you can call 207-646-2214 or book on line.. Be there or be square!

Book a Trip on Line

Download Our Newest Guestletter

Click the icon to view a complimentary copy of the 2019 Guestletter.







Back To Home Page, Deep Sea Fishing Maine