Bunny Clark Fishing Update
Written & Edited by Tim Tower
Sunday, August 25, 2019, 6:00 AM EDT
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At 5:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 65°F, the sky was overcast, it was raining ever so lightly, there was no wind and the visibility over the ocean was poor in dense fog. Ashore, the rain had stopped well before sunrise. The roads stayed wet for a couple more hours but were dry by 10:00 AM, except the most shaded spots. The sky was overcast but started to clear by 9:00 AM. The sky was hazy/clear and sunny for the rest of the day. The wind blew out of the south up to ten knots. It wasn't quite as humid as it was yesterday even with the higher air temperatures, the highest value being 80°F, that I saw in Perkins Cove. The visibility good for the most part. At one time in the morning it looked like there was a fog bank hanging off shore. There was no fog along the shore at any time during the day. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 88°F with a low of 69°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 86°F (with a low of 63°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 79°F (with a low of 67°F).
On the fishing grounds, the wind blew out of the south at five to ten knots. Seas were chops of a foot or two over swell that ranged from two to four feet from the southeast. The air temperature reached a high of 70°F. The tide (current) was moderate. The visibility ranged from five to ten miles in haze. The sky was overcast all day, to my surprise. The surface water temperature reached a high of 66°F.
The fishing conditions were good with the sea state and tide but I would call it fair with the larger than normal number of dogfish caught. The catching was good, very good if you like dogfish. Landings were good. Most legal fish landed were pollock, by far. Legal landings also included thirty-six haddock and two cusk. Released fish included thirty-three sub-legal haddock, three cod over 5 pounds, a handful of small cod and small pollock, three blue sharks and over one hundred dogfish. They drift fished and anchored, alternating between the two. All terminal gear worked about the same and well.
Today it was a bit too hard to discern who was high hook with the most legal fish. Too much going on all the time. Jeff Dunster (NY) won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, a 12 pound pollock. Jeff also caught a 7.5 pound pollock and a 7 pound pollock. Jeff Kucka (MA) caught the second largest fish, a 9 pound pollock. He also tied with Ed Kucka (MA) for the third largest fish at 8 pounds. Both fish were pollock. Ed also caught another pollock that weighed 7 pounds.
Other Angler Highlights: Colt Ballard (NY) attained high hurler status and landed the hard luck award t-shirt for his condition.
Captain Ian Keniston and Anthony Palumbo ran the afternoon (4PM - 8PM) half day trip. On the fishing grounds, the wind blew out of the south. Wind speeds were five to ten knots. Seas were two to three feet in chops and seas. The air temperature reached a high of 72°F in the shade. The visibility ranged from five to ten miles in haze. The tide (current) was moderate. The sky was sunny. The surface water temperature was 64°F
The fishing conditions, specifically the sea state, put people under with sea sickness. It was just that type of roll on anchor that did it. Only about half the boat was fishing. The catching and landings were good. Legal landings included thirteen haddock and one cusk. Released fish included twenty-six dogfish, one cod of 5.5 pounds, a few small cod and eighteen sub-legal haddock. They used the anchor all evening. Only bait and cod flies were used with variable success.
Jim Stelmaszak (MI) won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, a 5.5 pound cod. The second largest fish was a 3 pound haddock caught by D. C. Gallaher (OH). There was a tie for the third largest fish at 2.5 pounds, both haddock. Jeff Spain (OH) caught one and Nolan Fullerton (NH) caught the other one. Cade Stelmaszak (OH) was the high hurler of the evening and landed the hard luck award.
Marty Nephew (NY) did me a solid by sponsoring me in the Pan-Mass Challenge, a cycling event designed to kill cancer. His donation was $60.00. Marty has supported me for years in this event, always on a volunteer basis, without me asking him. Thanks so much, Marty. This is so very much appreciated!
At 5:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 63°F, the sky was cloudless, the wind was light out of the southwest and the visibility over the ocean was very good. There was no wind in the morning to write about. The ocean along the shore was calm. Later in the morning, the wind hauled out of the northwest. Wind speeds were ten to fifteen knots. But, looking out to sea, you could tell the wind wasn't reaching off. On land, the wind was strong enough so that we had to shorten the awnings at Barnacle Billy's as, extended, the wind was moving them a little too much. The sky was mostly clear all day, cloudless most of the morning. We saw more clouds in the evening. And a thunder storm passed to our north and east, far enough away to be only detected on the local radar. The air temperature warmed up to 83°F, the highest value that I saw. It didn't seem as warm as yesterday but it was much less humid. The visibility was very good. 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 58°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 84°F (with a low of 64°F).
On the fishing grounds, the wind blew out of the west to southwest at about five knots. Seas were two to three foot rolling seas swells under a one foot chop. The air temperature got up as high as 72°F. The visibility ranged to over twenty miles in a wee bit of haze. The tide (current) was moderate. The sky was sunny. The surface water temperature reached a high of 66°F.
The fishing conditions were very good, the catching was very good and landings were very good. Most legal fish landed were haddock, by far, followed by pollock. The haddock cull was 65/35 favoring the legal sized fish. Legal landings also included three redfish, seventeen cusk, thirty mackerel, a halibut and two cunners. Released fish included fifty-six dogfish, the small haddock, eleven cod over 5 pounds, a few small cod/pollock and one barndoor skate. They drift fished and anchored, as seemed appropriate. All terminal gear worked well today.
Ian couldn't tell me who was high hook today. There were many great Bunny Clark regular anglers on the boat anyone could only wish to have aboard, as a captain. All of these anglers did very well. Mark Hatstat (ME) won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, a 28.5 pound legal halibut. For some unknown reason, the fish had a frayed tail. Captain Ian took a picture of Mark holding his prize. This digital image appears on the upper left. This is Mark's first Atlantic halibut. The second largest fish was 20 pound barndoor skate caught by Marty Nephew (NY). Ian also took a picture of Marty with his strange skate. I believe this is Marty's first barndoor skate. This digital image appears on the right. Chris Roberts, on a bus man's holiday of sorts, caught the third largest fish, a 14 pound cod. Chris' biggest pollock weighed 11 pounds.
Other Angler Highlights: Matt Soucy (NY) caught the first fish that Ian could weigh for the boat pool, a 9 pound cod. Mark Cote (ME) caught a 10 pound cod, his largest fish. Dan Killay (VT) landed an 11 pound pollock, his best. Tim Rozan (ME) caught a 10 pound pollock, his largest fish. Krista Cote (ME) caught the largest pollock of the day at 11.5 pounds. Spencer Rieder (ME) was the sole hurler of the trip and landed the hard luck award t-shirt for his efforts.
I received a generous $200.00 donation from Mary Ann Tocio (FL) sponsoring me in the Pan-Mass Challenge, a cycling event to fight cancer through genetic research. Mary Ann worked at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and knows the value of the donation, where it is going and how it works. I was very grateful that she chose me as her "conduit to the cause". Thank you so very much, Mary Ann. Much Appreciated!
At 5:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 58°F, the sky was mostly clear, there was no wind, the ocean along the shore was flat calm and the visibility over it was excellent. Ashore, we had ten knots of wind from the northwest, no more or no less. There was much less humidity today. The visibility was excellent because of the lack of haze associated with the humidity. The highest air temperature that I saw in Perkins Cove was 78°F. The sky was clear all morning and part of the afternoon until rain showers came through preceeded by a cloud cover that started at 1:00 PM. The rain started at 2:00 PM but stopped only ten minutes later. The sun was out again after 3:00 PM, leaving us with a glorious afternoon. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 82°F with a low of 66°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 76°F (with a low of 52°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 west at ten knots. Seas were two to three feet in a chop/short swell mix. The air temperature didn't crack 70°F for the first time in a long time. The highest air temperature value seen today was 69°F. The sky was sunny for the trip. The visibility ranged to over twenty miles. The tide (current) was moderate. The high surface water temperature for the trip was 64°F.
The fishing was very good as was the catching and landings. Most legal fish landed were haddock, by far. The haddock cull was 60/40, the nod given to the legal haddock. Legal landings also included twenty-one pollock, one cusk, one monkfish and twenty mackerel. Released fish included forty-eight dogfish, thirteen cod of 5 pounds or more, a handful of short cod/pollock and a couple of mackerel. They drift fished and anchored. Only one jig was used today. Almost everyone used bait with a fly above the sinker.
Ian couldn't tell me who was high hook. Blu Brown (VT) won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, an 18 pound pollock. This was the last fish of the trip, caught while reeling up after Ian had called the day! Blu's pollock is the Bunny Clark's fifth largest pollock of the season to date. Blu was also the first person to catch a fish to weigh for the pool, an 8 pound cod. The second largest fish was a 16.5 pound cod caught by Marty Tanguay (NH). John Tanguay (ME) caught the third largest fish, a 15 pound monkfish. This is the Bunny Clark's largest monkfish of the fishing season to date. Captain Ian took a picture of John holding his monkfish. This digital image appears on the left. John's biggest cod weighed 9 pounds. His largest pollock weighed 10 pounds.
Other Angler Highlights: Shawn O'Neil (NH) caught a wolffish, at 14 pounds, could have won the boat pool on almost any trip in the last two weeks. Unfortunately for Shawn, he caught this fish on a day when some really good sized fish were caught. Carol Viera (NH) caught a 6.5 pound cod. Eric Tanguay (NH) caught a 7 pound pollock, his biggest fish. Jeri Evans (FL) caught 9 pound pollock. Bob Evans (FL) was the closest to being sea sick. He landed the hard luck award t-shirt.
Captain Ian Keniston and Anthony Palumbo ran the afternoon (4PM - 8PM) half day trip. On the fishing grounds, the wind blew out of the northwest at five to ten knots. Seas were one to two feet in chops. The air temperature reached a high of 70°F in the shade. The visibility ranged from fifteen to twenty miles in haze. The tide (current) was moderate. The sky was sunny. The surface water temperature was 64°F
The fishing conditions were pretty good, the catching was okay and landings were fair. It was a slower night on the bite. There wasn't even a dogfish caught. Legal landings included ten haddock and two whiting. Released fish included a couple small cod and five sub-legal haddock. They anchored for every stop. Everyone used bait and a couple of cod flies.
Craig Arnold (ME) and Scott Lane (VT) tied for the largest fish of the evening, each angler with a 3 pound fish. Scott was not entered in the boat pool. Craig was. Craig's was a haddock and Scott's was a cod. There was also a tie for the third largest fish between Steve Hearne (VT) and Mike Lee with fish of 2.5 pounds each. Steve's was a whiting while Mike's was a haddock. Lori Hood (VT) landed the shirt for getting the dreaded mal de mer. Fortunately, this is a disease that's temporary.
David Yerke (NY) did me a solid today by donating $30.00 to my cancer research project with the Pan-Mass Challenge and Dr. Katherine Janeway. Thank you, Dave. I'm hoping you are fishing with me on Tuesday to re-live last year's trip that you weren't able to attend. Hey; what's life without a little abuse. Thank you very much for the donation. It is very much appreciated!
At 5:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 56°F, the sky was clear, the wind was blowing out of the west at then knots and the visibility over the ocean was excellent. Ashore, the wind blew out of the west and then northwest. Wind speeds were light, no more than ten knots or less. The sky was clear all day. The visibility remained excellent. The highest air temperature that I saw in Perkins Cove was 78°F. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 82°F with a low of 62°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 79°F (with a low of 46°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 78°F (with a low of 54°F).
On the fishing grounds, the wind blew out of the west at ten knots all day. Seas were chops of one to two feet. The air temperature reached a high of 69°F, very comfortable. The visibility ranged to over twenty miles. There was little haze. The tide (current) was moderate. The sky was sunny. The surface water temperature reached a high of 68°F.
The fishing conditions were very good, the catching was good to very good. Landings were fair to good, depending on the angler. It wasn't the best bite today, regardless. The fish were there; it just wasn't a biting day. Most legal fish landed were haddock, by far. The haddock cull was almost 50/50, legal fish to sub-legal fish, with the edge going to the legal sized haddock. Legal landings also included fourteen pollock and five cusk. Released fish included forty-eight dogfish, eight cod of 5 pounds or greater and a few small cod and small pollock. Drifting was the method. Bait was best today. Cod flies did well too.
Joe Columbus (MA) was not high hook today, probably the first trip this season where he wasn't high hook. Ian couldn't tell me who was. Altin Bickau (CT) won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, a 9 pound cod. The second largest fish was a 7 pound pollock, caught by Alex Bobotas (TX). Ariel Hunter (ME) caught the third largest fish, a 5.5 pound pollock.
Other Angler Highlights: Tobey Simpson (ME) caught the only other fish of note, a 5 pound pollock. Marc Roy (NH) was the high hurler of the trip. There were a couple anglers with this malady. Marc was the best at it. For this he won the hard luck award.
I received a $20.00 donation from Andree Burk (ME) sponsoring me in the Pan-Mass Challenge, cycling event that took place last weekend to raise money for cancer research. Thank you so very much for your support and believing in this project. And me and my involvement! Much appreciated.
At 5:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 62°F, the sky was cloudless, the wind was blowing out of the southwest at ten knots and the visibility over the ocean was excellent. Ashore, there was not much wind to write about. The wind was out of the south but no more than ten knots. The ocean was fairly calm. It was somewhat humid today but not terrible. The air temperature reached a high of 83°F in Perkins Cove. The visibility was very good in some haze. The sky was sunny all day with zero threat of a shower. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 87°F with a low of 65°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 84°F (with a low of 53°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 84°F (with a low of 60°F).
On the fishing grounds, the wind blew out of the southwest at five to ten knots. Seas were chops of a foot or two. The air temperature reached a high of 71°F under the shade top. The tide (current) was moderate. The visibility ranged from fifteen to twenty miles in some haze. The sky was sunny all day. The surface water termperature reached high of 67°F.
The fishing, catching and landings were very good today. Most legal fish landed were haddock followed by pollock. The haddock cull was 50/50 with three more sub-legal haddock than legal haddock. Legal landings also included four cusk and fifteen or so mackerel. Released fish included forty dogfish, twelve cod of 5 pounds or greater, all those sub-legal haddock, a few small cod and pollock, a wolffish and a barndoor skate. They drift fished all day. All terminal gear worked well.
I never did ask Ian who was high hook. He probably couldn't tell me as there was so much going on today. Adam Cloutier (ME) won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, a 20 pound barndoor skate. This is the second barndoor skate of the Bunny Clark fishing season to date and an exact tie in weight and gender to the only other one that has been caught. The second and third largest fish was caught by Erik Cloutier (ME). Those fish were a 16 pound pollock and a 15.5 pound cod.
Other Angler Highlights: Rachel Morrell (ME) caught a 9 pound pollock, the first fish to be weighed for the boat pool. Rich Morrell (ME) caught two pollock of 12 pounds each. John Giordano (MA) caught a 10 pound pollock, his biggest fish. Sam St. Hilaire (MA) caught a 10 pound pollock, his best fish. Rachel Morrell (ME) landed the hard luck award for getting a touch of the dreaded mal de mer! Ouch!
I received three donations sponsoring me in the Pan-Mass Challenge today. Those wonderful individuals and their donations were as follows: Mike Kelso (NY) for $25.00, Mark Coleman (NY) for $30.00 and Roslyn Lando (WV) for a generous a generous $100.00. Thank you all so much for believing that what I am doing here is the right thing to do. I certainly believe it and it has been proven out. If you want to help cancer research, this, to me, is the best place you can put your money. Much appreciated!!!!!
At 5:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 69°F, the sky was mostly cloudy with some clear patches, the wind was blowing out of the southwest at twelve knots and the visibility over the ocean was very good but with some haze.
On the fishing grounds, the wind blew out of the southwest at speeds starting at no more than eight knots and diminishing to a knot or two. Seas were an old chop roll of two feet under an active one foot, or less, chop. The air temperature reached a high of 70°F in the shade. The visibility was about fifteen miles in haze. The tide (current) was light all day, too light for two hours. Almost too slow a drift. The surface water temperature reached a high of 66°F.
Ashore, these were the air temperatures in selected New England cities: In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 81°F with a low of 73°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 83°F (with a low of 64°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 77°F (with a low of 66°F).
The fishing conditions were very good. The catching was very good. Landings were good overall. Two very good stops made the day. The rest of the time it was just a pick. Most legal fish landed were pollock. Legal landings also included thirteen haddock, seven cusk, four cunners, a whiting and fifteen mackerel. Released fish included forty-six dogfish, fifteen sub-legal haddock, two cod of 5 to 9 pounds, seven small cod and thirteen small pollock. We drift fished all day. All terminal gear worked well but cod flies caught the most fish.
David Yerke (NY) was the fisherman of the day. He was high hook with the most legal fish and he won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, a 19.5 pound pollock. The big pollock is the Bunny Clark's third largest pollock of the fishing season to day. It's also David's largest pollock ever. David also caught the fourth largest fish of the trip, an 11.5 pound pollock. The first fish of his that I weighed was a 9 pound pollock. Ten year old Christian Burke (VA) caught the second largest fish, a 12.25 pound pollock, the largest fish he has ever caught. Christian caught several other nice fish including a couple of legal haddock. Nathan Young (NC) caught the third largest fish of the trip, a 12 pound pollock.
Other Angler Highlights: Jim Smith (NY) caught the best double of the day. His catch included a 10 pound pollock and a 7 pound pollock, both fish on the same line at the same time. He also caught another pollock that weighed 10 pounds. David Klein (NJ) caught the largest cusk we have seen in a while with a 10 pounder. David's usually good for at least one nice fish on a trip. His dory mate, Fred Ostry (NJ), caught a 9 pound pollock, his biggest fish. Mike Boyle (NC) might have lost the biggest fish of the trip or it could have been a huge pollock double. Whatever, the fish (or two fish) broke his line, losing both the jig and fly in the process. He had a big double pollock that I didn't weigh but I don't believe it was bigger than Jim's double. He did catch the first fish I could weigh, a 6 pound pollock. I weighed another pollock of his that weighed 8 pounds. Auggie Burke (VA) landed the hard luck award t-shirt for being the only angler to hurl. The condition was only momentary. Auggie is going to Bowdoin College for her freshman year in the fall.
Chris Roberts and I ran the afternoon half day (4PM - 8PM) trip. It poured rain from the time we left the dock for the fishing grounds until about ten minutes after we arrived there. The wind was very light from the southeast once the rain left us. The wind stayed light all evening. The ocean was calm. There was very little tidal current. The visibility was exactly fifteen miles. The air temperature hung around 70°F all evening. The sky was overcast. The surface water temperature reached a high of 63°F
The fishing conditions were excellent, the catching was good as was the landings. Most legal fish landed were haddock, by far. The haddock cull was about 55/45, favoring the legal sized fish. Legal landings also included a pollock and three squirrel hake. Released fish included thirty-seven dogfish, the short haddock, four small cod and a sub-legal pollock. We drift fished once and anchored once. Bait was best.
I believe that Doug Niles (VT) was high hook with the most legal fish, a count of four haddock. His largest haddock weighed 2.5 pounds, a tie for the third largest fish with eight year old Emma Machinist (VT) who also caught a 2.5 pound haddock. I took a picture of Emma with Chris Roberts (my iPhone) holding her haddock in front of her. The digital image appears on the right. Kevin Drobish (ME) won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, a 6.75 pound pollock. Kevin also caught a 2.25 pound haddock and a 1.6 pound haddock. Jessica Perry (NH) caught the second largest fish of the evening, a 2.6 pound haddock. She had two keepers for the trip.
Other Angler Highlights: Brandy Goulet (VT) caught the first fish of the evening, a .75 pound mud hake. Ten year old Alessio Leri (QC) caught two haddock of 2.25 pounds each. Jack Drobish (ME) caught a 2.3 pound haddock. Emily Tebbetts (NH) was leading the boat pool for a long time with a 2.3 pound haddock but lost out in the end when the bite turned on. For this I gave her the hard luck award for opportunities lost.
I received a few donations sponsoring me on my ride with the Pan-Mass Challenge today. Those donors and their donations included David Klein for $25.00, Ken & Carolyn Erikson (ME) for a very generous $300.00, Robert Houle (QC) for $50.00 via "egift" through the PMC site and Jim Smith for $10.00. Thank you all for your generous support and help in this project. I'm always amazed how many people step up to the plate and help me with this. Very much appreciated!
At 5:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 60°F, the sky was, the wind was blowing out of the north at ten knots and the visibility over the ocean was very good. Ashore, the north wind petered out, the ocean went calm and the wind hauled out of the southwest at light speeds. Except for a one or more foot chop this morning, the ocean was calm almost all day. The sky was clear except for a few light high cirrus clouds. The visibility was very good. The air temperature reached a high of 74°F in Perkins Cove. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 76°F with a low of 63°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 80°F (with a low of 58°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 76°F (with a low of 59°F).
Captain Ian Keniston and Chris Roberts ran the afternoon (4PM - 8PM) half day trip. On the fishing grounds, the wind blew out of the north northeast at five knots or less. The ocean was calm. The air temperature reached a high of 75°F in the shade. The visibility ranged from five to ten miles in haze. The tide (current) was moderate to strong. The sky was sunny. The surface water temperature reached a high of 64°F
The fishing conditions were good with a stronger tide than last night. The catching was good as were the landings. Most legal fish landed were haddock, the cull a 50/50 split. Legal landings also included three pollock, two redfish, a cusk and a whiting. Released fish included eight dogfish and the short haddock. Drifting was the method. Everyone used bait and cod flies.
Trent Lawton (ME) won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, a 7 pound pollock. He also caught a 2 pound haddock. The second largest fish was a 3.5 pound pollock, caught by Jen Freeman (NY). She also caught a haddock that weighed 2.25 pounds. Donna Conlin-Stolberg (MA) caught the third largest fish, a 2.5 pound haddock.
Other Angler Highlights: Andre Meades (RI) caught a 2 pound haddock, his largest fish. Declan Conley (VA) landed the hard luck award for being able to cope with his equilibrium and the motion of the ocean.
I received three donations sponsoring me in the Pan-Mass Challenge today, a cycling event that took place over August 3rd weekend but that is the focus of fund raising for cancer research until December 31st of this year. Those donors and their donations included Ken Lang (MA) for a generous $60.00 via "egift" through the PMC site on line, $25.00 from Jersey Tim and a very generous $200.00 from Richie & Barbara Jeffers (MA). Thank you all so very much for your thoughtful generosity. I really appreciate your support, both in encouragement and financially. All the best!
At 5:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 56°F, the sky was clear, there was no wind, the ocean along the shore was flat calm and the visibility over it was excellent. There was very little along the shore all day. What little wind there was was variable in direction. The ocean along the shore was calm. The air temperature must have risen above 70°F but, by 4:00 PM, the first time I looked, the temperature was 68°F. It was cool in the morning with a perfect air temperature for the rest of the day and very little humidity. The visibility was very good. We sunny skies during the early part of the morning and later in the afternoon. Between those times, we had a hazy some with light overcast. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 73°F with a low of 63°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 80°F (with a low of 54°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 77°F (with a low of 59°F).
On the fishing grounds, the wind was variable in direction to northeast about five knots, later in the trip. The ocean was calm for the whole trip. The air temperature reached a high of 72°F in the shade. It was warm on deck. The tide (current) was strong - the full moon. The visibility in the morning was less than a quarter of a mile to a mile in fog. After noon, the fog dissipated enough to see fifteen to twenty miles. The sky was overcast in the morning, clear and sunny in the afternoon. The surface water temperature reached a high of 68°F.
The fishing conditions were marred by the strong current and the dogfish, the most for any trip in the last week or more. Between the calm weather, the current and the dogfish, it wasn't a biting day for groundfish. The catching was good overall as were the landings. Most legal fish landed were haddock, by far. However, the haddock cull was 60/40 favoring the sub-legal fish, a change from most trips this year where the majority of fish were of legal size. Legal landings also included twenty-four pollock, four cusk and ten mackerel. Released fish included over eighty dogfish, a few small cod and pollock and no cod of 5 pounds or better. All terminal gear worked about the same.
I was told that Dave Yerke (NY), Tuesday's hero, didn't have a legal fish (okay, maybe a single mackerel) until the last stop of the day while all of his other crew had legal fish before the last stop. He did sign up for tomorrow's extreme day trip. So, I'm sure, his plan is to turn things around, boat a halibut, attain high hook status and become the newest poster boy for the Bunny Clark. No pressure, Dave! We shall see.
Speaking of high hook, Ian couldn't tell me who it was. Carmen Daniano (NY) won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, an 11 pound pollock. The second largest fish was a pollock that weighed 9 pounds, caught by Rick Atkins (PA). Ghrady Havens (NY) caught the third largest fish, an 8.5 pound pollock. Mike Sowerbutts (MA) was sitting in the position near the stern that every line, while drifting, was heading to. As a result, he was untangling lines on all sides of him for the whole day. I don't even know if he caught a fish. He landed the hard luck award t-shirt for his lot in Bunny Clark life on this day. Of course, he could have moved.
Captain Ian Keniston and Anthony Palumbo ran the afternoon (4PM - 8PM) half day trip. On the fishing grounds, the wind blew out of the southeast at five knots or less. The ocean was flat calm. The air temperature reached a high of 68°F in the shade. The visibility ranged from ten to fifteen miles in haze. The tide (current) was strong. The sky was sunny. The surface water temperature was 66°F
Depsite the current, the fishing was shallower than it has been the last few nights so it didn't show much in the tangles. So fishing conditions were good. Plus, there were no dogfish to mess the lines up. The catching was excellent, most due to the large number of sub-legal pollock and other species of fish found in the area Ian was fishing. Landings were fair. Legal landings included five cusk and four whiting. Released fish included a few very small cod, very many small pollock, a couple of sculpins and sea ravens. Drifting was the method. Mostly bait was used.
Kevin Murphy (MA) caught the largest fish, an 11 pound cusk, one pound shy of a Maine state trophy and the largest cusk we have seen since the middle of July. Unfortunately, he was the only angler this evening who was not in the biggest fish pool! Dan Manor (NY) won the boat pool for the largest fish with the second largest fish, a 9 pound cusk. The third largest fish was caught by Brauston Estes (TX), a 5 pound cusk.
Other Angler Highlights: Liv Manor (NY) caught the first fish to be weighed for the boat pool, a 2 pound cusk. Elizabeth Mahon (NY) caught a 2.5 pound cod shortly after Liv caught her cusk. Jillian Martelle (NY) caught a 2 pound cod. Hunter Soller (NY) also caught a cod of 2 pounds. Jennifer Mahon (NY) caught a 1.8 pound cusk. Kelly McMahon (MA) landed the hard luck award for breaking off a very big fish and losing her bait rig and fly.
I received three donations sponsoring me in my cancer research project with the Pan-Mass Challenge today. David Nickerson (ME) with RUBB Building Systems donated a generous $200.00, Cathy (& Arnold) Harrison (ME) gave a generous $100.00 and Rick Atkins donated $25.00 to the cause. Thank you all so very much for your help in this project. It makes it so much easier to spend the time that I do on this with all the great support. It means a lot to me.
At 5:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 62°F, the sky was overcast, there was no wind, the ocean along the shore was flat calm and the visibility over it was suspect as I could not see Boon Island from the house. Later, I found that it was foggy along the shore. A little rain fell, just a sprinkle, around 6:30 AM. The rain was gone by 7:00 AM and never showed up again. We had overcast skies for the early part of the morning with partly sunny skies for the rest of the day. The high air temperature in Perkins Cove, that I saw, was 74°F. Most of the morning had a fog bank hanging offshore that left us by late morning. The wind blew out of the east to southeast at five knots or so for most of the day. The visibility was very good after noon. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 75°F with a low of 63°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 82°F (with a low of 64°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 75°F (with a low of 63°F).
On the fishing grounds, the wind blew out of the southeast at five knots to five and ten knots. Seas were one foot chops over a two foot ocean sea swell. The air temperature reached a high of 72°F under the canopy top. It was warm to hot on deck. The sky was a mix of sun and clouds. The tide (current) was strong in the morning and moderate in the afternoon. The visibility ranged to ten and fifteen miles after traveling out in the fog. The surface water temperature reached a high of 66°F.
The fishing conditions were good with the dogfish and stronger than normal current. The catching was excellent; everything was biting. Landings were very good or a skosch better than that. Most legal fish landed were an equal mix of haddock and smaller than normal legal pollock. The haddock cull was 50/50, legal fish to sub-legal fish. Legal landings also included sixteen cusk. Released fish included nineteen cod from 5 to 19 pounds, forty dogfish, a few small pollock and a handful of small cod. Drifting was the method. All terminal gear worked well.
David Yerke (NY) was the fisherman of the day. He was high hook with the most legal fish (and walked off with the most bags of fillets) and he won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest cod we have seen in a couple of weeks at 19 pounds. The cod was the largest fish of the trip. The second largest fish of the trip was an 11 pound cod caught by Charles Germanos (MA). George Germanos (MA) caught the third largest fish, a 10 pound pollock, the largest pollock of the trip.
Other Angler Highlights: Mike Chandler (NH) caught the first fish that Ian could weigh for the boat pool, a 9 pound pollock. Bob Piel (CT) caught an 8 pound pollock. Jason Piel (CT) landed the fourth largest fish of the trip, a 9.5 pound pollock. Brian Tufts (FL) landed the hard luck award for losing three jigs to blue sharks! They're baaaack!
At 5:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 64°F, the sky was overcast, the wind was blowing out of the southeast at ten knots and the visibility over the ocean was very good. If anything, the cloud cover got thicker and became overcast in the full sense and meaning of the word. By mid morning, we also had such a heavy fog that everything got wet, including the roads. By noon, however, the roads were back to being dry. The wind remained light out of the southeast all day. The ocean along the shore was calm. The highest air temperature that I saw in Perkins Cove was 69°F. The visibility ranged from good, to poor to very good again. Later in the afternoon, we had a drizzling rain that stopped as soon as it started. We had no showers for the rest of the day. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 76°F with a low of 67°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 79°F (with a low of 64°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 70°F (with a low of 64°F).
On the fishing grounds, the wind blew out of the southeast a five knots. Seas were left over rolling swells/chops of two feet over a light chop of less than a foot. The air temperature reached a high of 71°F. The visibility ranged from fifteen to twenty miles in haze. The tide (current) was strong. The sky was overcast. It didn't rain. The surface water temperature reached a high of 68°F.
The fishing conditions were about two or three stars, good in my book. The current was a bit too strong and the dogfish just made it that much more of a mess. There were also five blue sharks that got hooked up messed things up as well. The catching was very good, excellent if you included the dogfish. Landings were good to very good. Most legal fish landed were haddock, by far. The haddock cull was 50/50, legal to sub-legal fish. Legal landings also included twenty-four pollock and nine cusk. Released fish included fifty-five dogfish, the five blue sharks, four cod of 5 pounds or more, a few small cod and a few small pollock. They anchored but had too many blue sharks swimming around the boat. Drifting worked better, despite the strong current. Almost everyone used bait and cod flies.
Emily Crocket (NH) won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, a 10.5 pound pollock. The second largest fish was an 8 pound pollock caught by Kiah Morel (VT). Pete Morel (VT) caught the third largest fish, a 7.5 pound cod.
Other Angler Highlights: Adam Slocum (VT) caught a 7 pound pollock, the fourth largest fish of the trip. John Pease (VT) landed the hard luck award for being the sole hurler and for being incapacitated with it for the whole trip. Ouch!
Captain Ian Keniston and Anthony Palumbo ran the afternoon (4PM - 8PM) half day trip. On the fishing grounds, the wind blew out of the southeast at five knots or less. The ocean had a small chop of less than a foot over rolling sea swells of two feet. The air temperature reached a high of 69°F in the shade. The visibility ranged from ten to fifteen miles in haze. The tide (current) was strong. The sky was overcast. The surface water temperature was 68°F
The fishing conditions were good, no more than that. There were dogfish and a strong tide that prevented this category to be deemed any better than that. The catching was very good as were the landings. Most legal fish landed were pollock, by far. Legal landings also included seven haddock and two cusk. Released fish included thirty-five dogfish, a couple small cod, a couple small pollock and six sub-legal haddock. Drifting was the method. Only bait and cod flies were used, thank God! Had they used jigs they would have caught too many fish that would surely have been wasted as only two anglers wanted to take fish home.
Ian couldn't tell me who was high hook. Emmalee Kelly (MA) won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, an 11.5 pound pollock. The second largest fish was an 8.75 pound pollock, caught by Courtney Parker (VT), who had already been one of the first anglers of the evening to catch a legal pollock (it weighed 5 pounds). Cole Larson (IL) caught the third largest fish, an 8.5 pound pollock.
Other Angler Highlights: The most notable double was landed by John Kelly (MA) who caught a 7 pound pollock and an 8 pound pollock, both fish on the same line at the same time. Lukas Canara (VT) caught a pollock that weighed 8.25 pounds. Andriana Lamendola (NY) caught a pollock that weighed 7.5 pounds. Chad Wight (MA) was the only hurler of the evening, not feeling great on the ride out. For his condition he was given the hard luck award t-shirt.
I received a generous $100.00 donation from Bob & Jane Purcell (ME) sponsoring me in my cancer research fund raising ride called the Pan-Mass Challenge today. The donation was made as an "egift" through the PMC site on line. Thank you both so very much for your support and encouragement. I really appreciate the help and your thoughtfulness!
At 5:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 65°F, the sky was overcast, there was no wind, the ocean was flat calm along the shore with nary a ripple on the surface and the visibility over it was very good. We had rain after midnight, last night, which left the roads mostly went at sunrise this morning. The sky was overcast and remained so until around noon, leaving the rest of the day mostly clear and sunny. Dispite the fact that the high temperature in Perkins Cove was only 76°F, it seemed warmer because the humidity was so high. The visibility along the shore was good to very good but we had a fog bank offshore for most of the day. There was no wind in the morning with a light southeast wind in the afternoon. The ocean was calm along the shore in the morning and mostly calm after noon and on into the night. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 81°F with a low of 69°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 87°F (with a low of 64°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 81°F (with a low of 65°F).
On the fishing grounds, the wind was light and variable. The ocean was calm. The air temperature reached a high of 73°F in the shade. It was warm to hot on deck with the lack of wind and the humidity. The visibility ranged from a quarter of a mile to much less than that in fog for the whole trip. On the ride home they ran in and out of the fog until they reached the clear of the shore with a mile left to go. The tide (current) was strong. The sky was overcast for the trip or appeared to be with the canopy of fog overhead. The surface water temperature reached a high of 67°F.
The fishing conditions were only good as far as the weather was concerned; given weather alone, the conditions were very good. However, with the strong current and the larger than normal numbers in the dogfish count made the conditions only fair to good. There were too many tangles between the dogs and the current. The catching was good. Landings were fair to good. Most legal fish landed were haddock, by far. The haddock cull was 60/40, favoring the legal fish. Legal landings also included nineteen pollock (mostly small), seventeen cusk and one mackerel. Released fish included well over a hundred dogfish, six cod of 5 pounds or more, a handful of small cod and a handful of small pollock. Drifting was the only boating/fishing method employed. All terminal gear worked about the same.
Ian couldn't tell me who was high hook. And how could he? The current was so strong, the dogfish were so plentiful which created so many tangles that he was too busy to tell. Indeed, he was trying to keep Ally at the cutting table as much as he could. It would have been the same with five people aboard today. There was just no remedy. Jeff Taylor (ME) won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, a 10.5 pound pollock. He caught this pollock as part of a double keeper catch with another pollock that weighed 7 pounds, both fish on the same line at the same time. There was a tie for second place at 10 pounds each, both pollock. Chris Leduc (QC) caught one with another 7 pound pollock as part of another double. Nancy Kitchin (ME) caught the other one.
Other Angler Highlights: Mark Savinetaskiy (NY) landed the hard luck award for getting a hook in his hand. I don't know who did the operation, getting the hook out.
Captain Ian Keniston and Captain Ally Fuehrer ran the afternoon (4PM - 8PM) half day trip. On the fishing grounds, the wind blew out of the southeast at five knots or less. The ocean had a small chop of less than a foot over rolling sea swells of two feet. The air temperature reached a high of 72°F in the shade. The visibility ranged from five to ten miles in haze. The tide (current) was strong. The sky was a mix of sun and clouds. The surface water temperature was 67°F
The fishing conditions matched the day trip, pretty much, with lots of dogfish and much tide. The catching was good as were the landings. Legal fish landed included eleven haddock, four pollock and one cusk. Released fish included fifty-eight dogfish, a couple small cod, a couple of small pollock and five sub-legal haddock. They drift fished and anchored. Everyone used bait and cod flies. No jigs were used.
Dallas Carabeau (VT) was the fisherman of the evening. Dallas was high hook with the most legal fish and won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, an 8.5 pound pollock. Dallas' other good fish included a double that included a 5 pound pollock and a 7 pound pollock and the largest haddock of the evening at 2.75 pounds. The 7 pound pollock was the second largest fish of the evening. Ben Siebold (NY) caught the third largest fish, a 5 pound pollock.
Other Angler Highlights: Finn Maloney (NY) caught a 2 pound haddock, his best fish. Arnaud De Saint-Sernin (FRN) landed the hard luck award for being the only angler with a case of the dreaded mal de mer!
At 5:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 68°F, the sky was overcast, the wind was light from the southeast, it was humid, the ocean was calm along the shore and the visibility was good inside of a fog bank just off shore. By 11:00 AM, the air temperature was a humid 77°F, the sky was sunny and there was fog in and around the shore line. I saw an air temperature today in Perkins Cove of 83°F. That was the highest air temperature I saw. It seemed a bit warmer than that but I believe that the humidity was so high that it felt much warmer than it was. The sky became mostly sunny after about 10:00 AM. We still had the fog rolling in and out, patchy fog. A thunder shower came through at around 4:00 PM. And that seemed to clear the fog out. The rain lasted less than an hour. The wind blew out of the southeast in the morning and out of the south in the afternoon, five knots tops. After the rain, there was no wind at all. The ocean became flat calm. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 95°F with a low of 74°F). The high air temperature value seen in Boston today breaks the previous high temperature record for this date of 92°F last set in 1983 (the first year of the Bunny Clark) but also reached in 1966 and 1906. Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 90°F (with a low of 67°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 to start, up to ten knots in the afternoon. The ocean started out calm with a one to two foot chop in the afternoon. The air temperature rose to a high value of 74°F in the shade. It was hot today on deck. The tide (current) was strong again today. There was no fog on the fishing grounds. The visibility ranged from ten to fifteen miles in haze. The sky was sunny all day. The surface water temperature reached a high of 68°F.
The fishing conditions were not the best. The current was strong again and the dogfish were worse than ever. The few fisherman on the bow didn't have a big problem. But those fishing in the cockpit were tangled more than they should have been. So the conditions were good. That's high marks for the conditions and only because the weather was so humanly good. The catching and landings were very good, despite the dogs. Most legal fish landed were haddock, by far. They caught half as many pollock, the second most prevalent legal fish landed. The haddock cull was almost exactly two to one, or for every three haddock caught, two were of legal size to keep. Legal landings also included three cusk. Released fish included more than one hundred and fifty dogfish - Ian lost track -, eight cod of 5 pounds or more, a few small cod and a couple of small pollock. They had a few blue sharks plaguing the anglers. Three anglers were hooked up with them. Drifting was the method. All terminal gear worked well today.
Ian couldn't tell me who was high hook. I asked. One of my all time favorite anglers, Gary Holt (VT), won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, a 14 pound pollock. Gary hasn't been with us for a couple of years. But he used to fish with me all the time in the "old days". He hasn't changed a bit. The second largest fish was a 13 pound pollock caught by Jim Daily (IN). Mike Canarozi (CT) caught the third largest fish, a 12.5 pound pollock.
Other Angler Highlights: Liam Jenks (MA) caught an 8 pound pollock, his largest fish. John Russell (ME) didn't keep any of his fish. He did catch a lot of legal fish today. Two fish of his that Ian weighed included an 8.5 pound pollock and a 10 pound pollock. Dimitar Pavlov (ME) caught a 9.5 pound pollock and a 10 pound pollock, his two largest fish. Joe Jenks (MA) caught a 10.5 pound pollock and a 9 pound pollock. Buzz Leonard (ME) landed the fourth largest fish, a 12 pound pollock. He also caught the most legal haddock. Jim Balfour (ME) caught a 10 pound pollock, his biggest fish. Deepak Chketri (NH) landed the hard luck award for getting, far and away, the most tangles of the trip! I felt for him!
At 5:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 68°F, the sky was cloudless, the wind was light out of the west northwest and the visibility appeared to be excellent.
We had an excellent ride with the wind to our destination. The wind was out of the north northwest at seven knots, not quite turning over a chop. The visibility was excellent and the air temperature was perfect, 71°F.
On the fishing grounds, the wind blew out of the wind blew out of the north northwest for an hour or more, died out leaving us with a flat calm ocean and then hauled out of the south after I called the trip to "head her for the barn". We had light southerly winds all the way back to Perkins Cove. The air temperature reached a high of 74°F in the shade. The temperature on deck was perfect. The visibility was twenty-five miles, at least. The tide (current) was moderate to strong. The sky was nearly cloudless. The surface water temperature reached a high of 68°F.
Ashore, these were the air temperatures in selected New England cities: In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 84°F with a low of 71°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 86°F (with a low of 59°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 85°F (with a low of 63°F).
The fishing conditions were excellent, the catching was very good and landings were good to very good. We had very few dogfish today, the least for any day trip in the last ten days. Most legal fish landed were pollock, by far. Legal landings also included thirty-two haddock, fourteen cusk and a halibut. Released fish included seventeen dogfish, two cod of 5 pounds or better, eleven small cod, twenty-four sub-legal haddock, a wolffish and a couple sub-legal pollock. We drift fished for the trip. Unbaited cod flies caught the most fish, both pollock and haddock.
David MacDonald (MA) was high hook with the most legal fish. His largest fish was a 14 pound pollock, the third largest fish of the trip. He also caught two pollock doubles. One of these included two pollock of about 10 pounds or less each. The other double included a 9.5 pound pollock and a 12 pound pollock, both fish caught on the same line at the same time. Jason Courtney (MA) won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, a 30 pound halibut. It was the first hookup of the day. We arrived at a spot I had caught halibut before, announced this and two minutes later we had one on the line. I believe he was the first angler to reach bottom with his terminal gear. I took a picture of Jason holding his halibut. This digital image appears on the left. Jason also caught the largest haddock of the day at 4 pounds and the only wolffish, an 8 pounder. The second largest fish was a 22 pound pollock caught by Kyle Naaktgeboren (VT). He caught this big pollock as part of a double with another pollock that weighed 10 pounds. I thought he had a halibut on the line, so I had everyone reel up! The pollock is the Bunny Clark's largest of the season to date. And the double is the Bunny Clark's second largest double of the season so far. I took a picture of Kyle holding both his pollock. This digtital image appears on the right.
Other Angler Highlights: Jay Rowe (NH) caught the fourth largest fish of the trip, a 13.5 pound pollock. Another fish of his that I weighed was an 8.25 pound pollock. Noah Wagner (OR) landed a 9.5 pound pollock. Gianna Courtney (MA) caught a 9.5 pound pollock and a 9 pound pollock, her biggest two fish. Johnny Luebbers (NY) caught an 8.5 pound pollock. Tristan Wagner (OR) landed a 9.5 pound pollock. Eight year old Colby Rowe (NH) caught an 8 pound pollock with no assistance. Carter Haid (RI) boated an 11 pound pollock. Jason Barta (OR) landed the hard luck award for being the only angler to even have a hint of sea sickness. He never did hurl. And he ended up feeling great by noon.
Captain Ally Fuehrer and I ran the afternoon half day (4PM - 8PM) trip. On the fishing grounds, the wind blew lightly out of the south. The ocean was calm except for wind ripples. The air temperature reached a high of 74°F. The sky was cloudless. The tide (current) was light. The visibility was over twenty-five miles and the surface water temperature reached a high of 69°F.
The fishing conditions were excellent, the catching was very good as were the landings. Most legal fish landed were pollock, by far. The pollock were on the smaller side overall. Legal landings also included six haddock and a cusk. Released fish included five dogfish, four sub-legal pollock and three sub-legal haddock. Drifting was the method. Only bait and cod flies were used. Cod flies rocked.
Jed Kelderhouse (NY) was high hook with the most legal fish, a count of five. There were others who were close. He had a double that included a 3 pound pollock and a 4.25 pound pollock. His largest fish was a 6.25 pound pollock, the third largest fish of the trip. Owen Roche (MA) won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, an 8.25 pound pollock. He also caught a 4.5 pound pollock that I weighed first. The second largest fish was a 7 pound pollock caught by Jono Wyant (MA). He also caught a 5 pound pollock.
Other Angler Highlights: Cole Stone (MA), a Hab's fan, started off the night with the first fish, a 1.25 pound cusk. The way the night started, I thought that that fish was going to the be the largest fish! Vinny Montgomery (MA) caught the best double of the evening. His catch included a 4.5 pound pollock and a 6 pound pollock. Mike Stone (MA) caught a 4.25 pound pollock. Gayle Williams (NY) caught a 5.5 pound pollock. Jack O'Sullivan (NY) caught a 6 pound pollock. Evan Montgomery (MA) caught a 4.25 pound pollock. He also landed the hard luck award for getting the most tangled lines.
I received three donations sponsoring me in the Pan-Mass Challenge, a cycling event that took place on the weekend of August 3rd. The purpose of the event is to raise money for cancer research. The three donors and their gifts included David MacDonald for a generous $50.00, Laura McCarthy (MA) for $25.00 and Neil Chamberlain (NH) for $20.00. Thank you all so very much for your kindness, thoughfulness and support. I really do appreciate such wonderful people for all the help they give me in this project. All the best to you!!!!
At 5:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 61°F, the sky was clear, there was no wind, the ocean was flat glassy calm and the visibility was excellent. The sky stayed clear until sunrise, and an orange sunrise it was! After that, the sky started to cloud over. The threat of rain was obvious by 9:00 AM. Other places around Ogunquit got rain before we did. It was raining in Kennebunkport at 10:00 AM. We didn't see any rain until 11:00 AM. The rain was intermittent but lasted through the afternoon. The wind blew lightly out of the south for half of the daylight morning, out of the southwest for the rest of the morning and day. Between showers the wind got so light as to not have any direction at all. Needless to day, there wasn't much wind today anyway. The sky remained overcast. The highest air temperature that I saw in Perkins Cove was 78°F. The visibility was good, at least, with no fog but with hazy conditions. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 88°F with a low of 69°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 75°F (with a low of 56°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 77°F (with a low of 59°F).
On the fishing grounds, the wind blew out of the southwest at five to ten knots. Seas were chops of one to two feet. The air temperature reached a high of 76°F under the shade top. It was hot and humid on deck. The tide (current) was strong. The visibility ranged up to ten miles in haze. The sky was a mix of sun and clouds. The surface water temperture reached a high of 68°F.
The fishing conditions were very good, as was the catching and the landings. Most legal fish landed were haddock but pollock were close behind. The haddock cull was 60/40 favoring the sub-legal fish. Legal landings also included two cusk. Drifting was the method. All terminal gear worked well.
Tom Daigle (NH) won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, a 10 pound pollock. Tom also caught a double that included an 8.5 pound pollock and a 6 pound pollock, both fish caught on the same line at the same time. The 8.5 pound pollock tied for the third largest fish of the trip. Norm Herrick (MA) also caught a pollock that weighed 8.5 pounds. The second largest fish was a 9 pound pollock caught by Tommy Daigle (NH). Mike Howe (NH) landed the hard luck award for getting the most tangled lines.
Captain Ian Keniston and Sean Devich ran the afternoon (4PM - 8PM) half day trip. On the fishing grounds, the wind was light and variable in direction. The ocean was calm over a long rolling sea swell of two feet. The air temperature reached a high of 72°F in the shade. The visibility ranged from five to ten miles in haze, light rain and fog. The tide (current) was moderate. The sky was overcast. The surface water temperature was 70°F
The fishing conditions were good to very good. There were a few more dogfish than they would have liked to have seen, without which would have bumped the conditions into the very good category. The catching was good as were the landings. Legal landings included sixteen haddock, three pollock and a cusk. Released fish included thirty-two dogfish, a couple small cod and six sub-legal haddock. Drifting was the method. Everyone used bait and cod flies.
John Freibely (ME) won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, a 4.5 pound pollock. The second largest fish was a 4 pound pollock caught by Heather Provoncha (NY). Heather, I'm sorry to say, also landed the hard luck award t-shirt for losing her phone overboard with all her pictures from vacation. The phone was not backed up to "the cloud". She had her phone in her back pocket and was leaning on the rail when the phone was forced out of her pocket! Peter Fountain (NY) caught the third largest fish, a 3.25 pound haddock.
Other Angler Highlights: Amy Catanzarita (NY) caught a 2.5 pound haddock, one of the first fish to be weighed this evening. Nick Moore (NY) caught a haddock that weighed 2.75 pounds. Patrick Fennessy (NH) landed a 2.5 pound pollock.
I received an anonymous donation of $25.00 sponsoring me in the Pan-Mass Challenge today. Thank you very much, whoever you are!
At 5:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 66°F, the sky was cloudless, the wind was light out of the south southwest and the visibility over the ocean was very good. Ashore, the sky was still cloudless until 8:00 AM. After that, we had a variety of cloud formations and, at 2:00 PM, a tropical rain shower that lasted all of about ten minutes. Besides the shower, it was mostly sunny all day. It was humid after sunrise and got more so as the day progressed. The air temperature reached a high of 85°F in Perkins Cove. The wind was light out of the southwest. It was so light that the ocean remained calm along the shore, glassy even. The visibility was very good in haze. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 93°F with a low of 72°F). The high temperature reading recorded in Boston today ties the high temperature reading for this date first set in 1955 and, again, in 2003. Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 88°F (with a low of 62°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 85°F (with a low of 66°F).
On the fishing grounds, the wind blew out of the southwest at five knots. The ocean was calm all day with a long rolling sea swell from the southeast of about two feet. The air temperature reached a high of 75°F under the shade top. It was hot on deck. The visibility ranged from fifteen to twenty miles in haze. The tide (current) was moderate. The sky was sunny all day (they had the same rain shower on the ride back to Perkins Cove). The surface water temperature reached a high of 70°F.
The fishing conditions were very good to excellent, for humans. It was took good on the weather front for an excellent bite, according to Captain Ian. The catching was very good. Landings were good. Most legal fish landed were pollock, by far. Legal landings also included thirty-eight haddock, two redfish and three cusk. Released fish included twenty-five dogfish, eight cod of 5 pounds or better, fourteen sub-legal haddock, a couple small pollock, eleven small cod and a sculpin. Drifting was the method. Only jigs and cod flies were used today. No bait was used.
Jason Seiders won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, a 15 pound cod. The second largest fish was an 11 pound pollock caught by Mike Coulombe. There was a tie for the third largest fish at 10 pounds. Both fish were pollock. Dave Lalancette caught one and Terry Hughes caught the other.
Other Angler Highlights: Scott Thrasher caught a 9 pound pollock, the only other fish that Ian weighed today. Dan Menard landed the hard luck award for being the sole hurler of the trip. His condition was evident.
Captain Ian Keniston and Anthony Palumbo ran the afternoon (4PM - 8PM) half day trip. On the fishing grounds, the wind blew out of the southwest at five knots or less. The ocean was calm over a long rolling sea swell of two feet. The air temperature reached a high of 76°F in the shade. It was warm/hot on deck. The visibility ranged from ten to fifteen miles in haze. The tide (current) was light. The sky was a mix of sun and clouds. The surface water temperature was 70°F
The fishing conditions were excellent, the catching was good and landings were fair this evening. Legal landings included ten haddock, one pollock and one redfish. Released fish included two dogfish, a couple small cod and ten sub-legal haddock. They drift fished for the evening. Only bait was used; no jigs or cod flies.
Butch Gaudet (PA) was the fisherman of the evening. Not only did Butch win the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, a 3 pound haddock, he was also high hook with three legal fish and he caught the "ace", the three largest fish of the trip. Only two other "aces" have been recorded this Bunny Clark fishing season so far. Some seasons, two to be exact, not a single ace has been recorded. His other two fish were both haddock of 2.5 pounds each. It was a good night to be Butch Gaudet!
Other Angler Highlights: Zach Ericson (ME) caught two haddock of 2 pounds each. Kaitlin Saxton (ON) did the same, two haddock at 2 pounds each. Lucas Almeida (MA) landed the hard luck award for being the sole hurler of the trip. His condition was evident! Sound familiar?
I received two donations sponsoring me in the Pan-Mass Challenge, a cycling event to raise money to fight cancer - as if you didn't already know this. Mike Coulombe gave a generous $40.00 while Bob Cary and his wife, Janet Nussman, (MA) gave a very generous $300.00 as an "egift" through the PMC site. Thank you all so very much for your support and generosity. I am all in on this project and I appreciate that you might feel that way as well. All the best to you all!
At 5:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 65°F, the sky was overcast, there was no wind, the ocean was flat calm and the visibility over it was very good. Ashore, the wind was light all day, mostly from the west. Wind speeds were about five knots or less and stronger right on the shore than even an eighth of a mile off. The ocean was calm all day with light wind patches. The sky was a mix of sun and clouds. At times the sky was overcast. At other times during the day we had mostly sun. The highest air temperature that I saw in Perkins Cove was 79°F. The visibility over the ocean was nearly excellent. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 82°F with a low of 68°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 78°F (with a low of 51°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 79°F (with a low of 59°F).
On the fishing grounds, the wind blew out of the west at five knots or less. The ocean was calm all day with a long rolling sea swell from the southeast of about two feet. The air temperature reached a high of 76°F under the shade top. It was warm/hot on deck. The visibility ranged to over twenty miles. The tide (current) was moderate at first but, then, very strong in the afternoon. The sky was overcast in the morning and sunny during the afternoon. The surface water temperature reached a high of 69°F.
The fishing conditions were very good. They could have been excellent had the current not been so strong in the afternoon. The weather was nearly excellent, albeit, a little too warm. the catching and landings were very good. Most legal fish landed were pollock and haddock, in that order. It was close in count. The haddock cull was 65/35 favoring the legal sized fish. Legal landings also included eight redfish, four cusk and a monkfish. Released fish included five dogfish, eight cod of 5 pounds or better, five blue sharks, the short haddock, a few small cod and a couple of small pollock. They drift fished all day. Jigs and cod flies caught the most fish.
Ian couldn't tell me who was high hook. Paul Biebel (VT), of course, won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, a 16.5 pound pollock. The second largest fish was a 13 pound pollock caught by Carl Hall (NH). There was a tie for the third largest fish at 12.5 pounds, both pollock. One was caught by Tim Biebel (VT). The other pollock was landed by Jeff Potter (VT).
Other Angler Highlights: Peter Varhony (VT) caught a 12 pound monkfish. This is the Bunny Clark's second largest monkfish of the season to date. Tim Biebel landed the hard luck award for losing an hour long fight to retrieve his jig and fly from a blue shark. Believe it or not, everyone else went on fishing like normal while Tim fought this shark outside everyone else's lines. At no time did this shark get close enough to compromise the fishing of any other angler!
At 5:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 55°F, the sky was clear with a half moon directly over head, the wind was out of the north ten knots and the visibility over the ocean was very good. By mid morning, the wind direction was directly out of the northeast. Ten knots was the most wind speed that I saw. And I believe that that was the case all along the shore. The sky remained sunny all day with some clouds later in the morning and during the afternoon. The visibility was excellent. The highest temperature that I observed in Perkins Cove was 75°F. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 73°F with a low of 62°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 76°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 53°F).
On the fishing grounds, the wind blew out of the north at fifteen knots sustained. Seas were chops of two to four feet. After noon, the wind hauled directly out of the northeast and dropped in velocity somewhat. Seas dropped a sckosh to two and three feet in chops. The wind kept dropping on the ride back to Perkins Cove. The air temperature reached a high of 71°F under the shade top. The visibility was well over twenty miles. The tide (current) was moderate. The sky was sunny all day. The surface water temperature reached a high of 67°F.
The fishing conditions weren't the greatest, primarily because of the sea state. There were also a few more dogfish than they saw yesterday. The catching and landings were good. Most legal fish landed were haddock, by far. The haddock cull was two to one or for every three haddock caught, two were of legal size to keep. Legal landings also included thirty-nine legal pollock on the smaller size and three cusk. Released fish included thirty dogfish, six cod of 5 pounds or more, three blue sharks, a few short pollock, the small haddock and a handful of small cod. They spent the whole day on anchor at different spots. All terminal gear worked equally well, even for the haddock.
Tim LePage was high hook with the most legal fish. He also caught the second largest fish of the trip, a 10.5 pound pollock. Justin Furbush won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, a 12 pound pollock. There was a tie for the third largest fish at 9.5 pounds. There were two, both pollock. Derek Furbush caught one while Tyler Bonnell caught the other.
Other Angler Highlights: Danny Lanctot landed a 9 pound pollock, his largest fish. John Kay landed the hard luck award for having the worst case of sea sickness we have seen in over a month. He retired early to the Hotel Bunny Clark but managed to leave the cabin of his own volition once the Bunny Clark kissed the float in Perkins Cove. His departure wasn't immediate, as you might expect. But he was in better humor than I would have expected under the circumstances!
Captain Ian Keniston and Anthony Palumbo ran the afternoon (4PM - 8PM) half day trip. They had a bit of a choppy ride to the fishing grounds. The wind was out of the northeast and seas were chops of two feet. Their heading took them right direction into the teeth of the chop and wind. On the fishing grounds, the wind blew out of the northeast at ten knots. Seas were chops of two feet or so. The air temperature reached a high of 68°F in the shade. The visibility ranged to over twenty miles. The tide (current) was moderate. The sky was clear. The surface water temperature was 67°F
The fishing conditions were not the greatest but they were not bad. And the talent aboard the Bunny Clark, this evening, was something we don't often see on the half day trips. So no one was sea sick and the conditions didn't bother them. Nor were the dogfish too bad. The catching and landings were very good. Most legal fish landed were pollock. Legal landings also included seventeen haddock and a cusk. Released fish included a cod that weighed 11 pounds, a couple small cod, a few small pollock, fourteen dogfish and two blue sharks. Anchoring was the method. All terminal gear worked well.
I never found out who was high hook. Stacey Grau (VT) won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, the 11 pound cod mentioned above. It was her first time deep sea fishing. She told me that she loved it! The second largest fish was a 10 pound pollock caught by Jack Decormier (NH). Jack also caught a 6.5 pound pollock. Josh Landry (NH) landed the third largest fish, a 9.5 pound pollock.
Other Angler Highlights: Landen Dennis (ME) caught a 6 pound pollock. Dana Decormier (NH) landed a pollock of 8 pounds. Olivia Decormier (NH) caught the second largest haddock of the evening at 2.75 pounds. Pete Quintana (MA) caught the largest haddock at 3 pounds. His largest fish was a 5.5 pound pollock. Jaedyn Middlebrook (NY) landed the hard luck award for being the only angler without a fish.
I received two donations helping in my fight against cancer with the Pan-Mass Challenge today. Both Linda Palaza (MA) and Bill Von Rolappe (MA) each donated $20.00 to the cause. Thank you both very much for your support! I do appreciate it!
At 5:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 60°F, the sky was nearly cloudless, a crescent moon was high overhead, the wind was out of the northeast at thirteen knots and the visibility over the ocean was excellent. 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". The weather has been much calmer, overall, as compared to last summer. And, of course, the haddock are much more plentiful than last season. To make a reservation you can call 207-646-2214 or book on line. Be there or be square!
Also, our first marathon trip, Thursday, August 29, has fourteen fishing spots available, just so you know!
Click the icon to view a complimentary copy of the 2019 Guestletter.
