Bunny Clark Fishing Update
Written & Edited by Tim Tower
Saturday, July 11, 2020, 6:30 AM EDT
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At 5:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 48°F, the sky was cloudless, the wind was out of the east northeast at ten knots, it had been blowing out of that direction all morning as the bell buoy could be heard clanging since midnight and the visibility over the ocean was excellent. The wind was the strongest at 5:00 AM. The rest of the day saw very light wind of, maybe, five knots or a little more. First, the wind was out of the north (or some variation of that direction). By noon, the wind had hauled out of the south. By sunset, the wind was out of the south southwest. The sky was clear all day, cloudless all morning. The visibility was excellent. The highest air temperature that I saw was 65°F. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 65°F with a low of 55°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 76°F (with a low of 49°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 71°F (with a low of 46°F).
After editing this report and getting a few other things done this morning, I held a meeting at Barnacle Billy's with all the managers. We went over a number items including preparation for opening up for dine-in service and the opening of Barnacle Billy's, Etc. I didn't realize that only a few hours later Governor Mills would announce the opening of York County (our county) to dine-in service. So it was a more timely meeting than I was truly expecting. By 3:00 PM, it had been announced that, starting on Wednesday, dine-in service would be allowed with only 50 people per dining room and social distancing between tables. We are not opening at the restaurant until Thursday. But on that day we will be open for outside dining, inside dining and takeout service. At the same time we will be starting to get Barnacle Billy's, Etc. ready to open as well. Since Governor Mills only gave us two days notice, we will be scrambling to get things together enough to open. Things seem to be a little disorganized in Augusta.
At 9:30 AM, I attended the Recreational Advisory Panel meeting via Webinar with staff from the New England Fishery Management Council and some from the National Marine Fisheries Service. That meeting lasted until 12:30 PM. This meeting was centered around rule changes as it concerns the Covid crisis and a lack of fishing effort, mostly with party/charter boats due to restrictive regulations. A motion came out of the meeting to extend the cod season from September 8 through until October 7th of this year. This motion was presented to the Groundfish Committee later this afternoon. And, unfortunately, the motion was tabled. I'm assuming this will be presented to the full Council meeting that is being held on June 23 - 25. Since I didn't attend the Groundfish Committee meeting, I didn't find out why the motion was tabled. I assume that too will be presented at the NEFMC meeting. So I don't believe the motion is dead. But it will have a tougher time passing with the Council if the GC didn't pass it. And then, of course, it has to pass the scrutiny of the NMFS if accepted by the Council. So it looked like a lot of time wasted this morning. But you never know. I'm sure that if the commercial fishery is given some relief that the marine anglers will get relief in some form as well. But I could be totally wrong.
After lunch, I met my son, Micah, at the Bunny Clark as we tried to solve an oil leak in the reverse gear. Micah found the leak where Ian Keniston and I had suspected it to be the night before. I looked at it again and came up with the same conclusion before Micah arrived. Indeed, a fitting was loose. Micah tightened the fitting. After a sea trial and much looking we decided that the problem was fixed. There will be more problems to fix in the future! But, for now, this one is solved.
After going home, changing into my running gear and completing a five miler on Ogunquit Beach, I took a shower and suited up to work at the restaurants. I worked there until 8:00 PM. The business wasn't as good as it was last Monday afternoon. But we had quite a few regular patrons who I always enjoy talking to. It was a nice evening. The weather has been very good as of late, which has helped business tremendously.
I received another very generous donation sponsoring my ride in the Pan-Mass Challenge today, a cycling event (that has been canceled) to raise funding to fight cancer with research. The donation was made by Andy Tapparo (MA) for $250.00. Andy has been a donor through me for a few years now. Always much appreciated, I first started to talk to him about this at Barnacle Billy's restaurant. He has a wonderful family who come and visit occasionally. Thanks so much, Andy. It was great to see you and your family last weekend!
At 5:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 52°F, the sky was cloudless yet again, the wind was a whisper out of the north and the visibility over the ocean was excellent. The wind continued to be light and variable in direction from somewhere in the north and east. By noon, the wind direction became established out of the south but it never blew as much as ten knots. There were no white caps on the ocean today, the surface being calm near shore all day. The sky remained cloudless all day. Remarkable. The visibility was nearly excellent. The highest air temperature that I saw in Perkins Cove was 70°F. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 70°F with a low of 55°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 82°F (with a low of 44°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 79°F (with a low of 49°F).
The majority of my day was spent working at the restaurant. I had some details I had to work on, meetings with our managers and working on the Barnacle Billy's website. I also had the Bunny Clark stuff I had to do involving extra things in the engine room I might need in case things happened. And things do happen. I also spent a couple hours getting caught up with spread sheets and data bases. And I also spent time moving chairs and tables out of Barnacle Billy's, Etc. so that we could make room for social distancing requirements. I'm not sure I like the "new normal".
At 5:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 48°F, the sky was cloudless for the third day in a row, the wind was a whisper out of the south and the visibility over the ocean was excellent. The sky was cloudless from beginning to end. The wind was light all day. There was no wind for the first half of the morning. By noon, the southerly wind had picked up to ten knots, the strongest wind of the day to that point. We did see a few higher gusts but only by a knot or two. The ocean was barely turning a white cap along the shore. The visibility was excellent. I never did look at the air temperature but it had to be over 70°F. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 73°F with a low of 56°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 85°F (with a low of 44°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 78°F (with a low of 50°F).
On the fishing grounds, the wind blew out of the southwest at five knots. The ocean was calm for most of the morning. By noon, the southwest wind had increased to ten knots at most. Seas were chops of a foot. The highest air temperature, under the canopy, was 64°F, the highest air temperature this season so far. The visibility ranged to over twenty miles. The tide was moderate. The sky was cloudless. The surface water temperature reached a high of 62°, by far the highest surface water temperature of the season so far.
The fishing was excellent all day. The catching was slow in the morning (except for dogfish) but very good in the afternoon. Landings were good overall. Most legal fish landed were haddock, by far. The haddock cull was 65/35, favoring the landed fish. Legal landings also included five cusk and two cunners. Released fish included over a hundred dogfish, a handful of small pollock, eight cod of 5 pounds or more, a wolffish and a few small cod. Drifting was the method. All terminal gear worked well.
John Anderson was high hook with the most legal fish. He also tied for the second largest fish of the trip with an 8 pound cod. Bob Chapin also caught an 8 pound cod. Rich Lusis won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, a 9 pound wolffish. Rich also caught two of the biggest haddock of the trip at 4 pounds each. It was a good day to be Rich. I guess it's always a good day if you are rich.
Other Angler Highlights: Matt Moceri caught the first fish to be weighed for the pool, a 6 pound cod. Mark Garrett caught the other biggest haddock of the trip, weighing 4 pounds. Brian Plasse caught a 5 pound cod, his best fish. Chuck Leighton caught the fourth largest fish of the trip, a 7 pound cod. He also landed the hard luck award for catching the most dogfish. His total dogfish count was sixteen!
Tyler Carpenter and I are running the marathon trip today.
At 3:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 55°F, the sky was mostly clear with stars, the wind was very light out of the southwest and the visibility over the ocean was very good, at least.
We carried a light southwest wind all the way to the fishing grounds. Wind speeds were around five knots or more, a one foot chop at most. The visibility was nearly excellent, a sliver of a moon greeted us just above the eastern horizon as we poked our nose out between the gate and the air temperature was mild. It was a very comfortable ride.
On the fishing grounds, the wind blew out of the south southwest to start. We might have had five knots at most with a very small chop. Later, the wind hauled out of the southwest and blew up to ten knots by the end of the trips. Seas were chops of a foot. The southwest wind increased to fifteen knots on the ride home. Seas were about two feet or more in chops. The air temperature was mild reaching a high of 65°F in the shade. The tide (current) was surprisingly light. The visibility ranged to over twenty miles. Except for a few clouds well to the south, the sky was cloudless all day. The surface water temperature reached a high of 61°F.
Ashore, these were the air temperatures in selected New England cities: In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 88°F with a low of 62°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 92°F (with a low of 51°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 87°F (with a low of 54°F).
The fishing was excellent all day. There was no current, there were very few dogfish and the sea state was nearly perfect for humans on the high seas. The catching was excellent for the first two drifts and two anchor stops, very slow for the next two anchor stops and one drift and very good on the last anchor stop. Landings were very good overall. Most legal fish landed were haddock, by far. No other species was even close. Legal landings also included fifteen pollock, thirty-one cusk and a monkfish. Released fish included thirteen small haddock, fourteen cod over 5 pounds, twenty-two small cod, four wolffish, seven small pollock, two porbeagle sharks, one suspected halibut and eight dogfish. Baiit and cod flies caught the most fish. Otherwise, Vin Sculpino would have been high hook.
High hook for the most legal fish landed went to one of three anglers, Marcin Korszen, Thomas Smietanka or Ruslan Lohin. They caught a lot of haddock. Tim Rozan won the boat pool for the largest fish of the trip with the largest fish, a 28 pound cod. This is the largest cod that has been caught on the Bunny Clark to date. I took a quick picture of Tim with this cod before he released it alive. This digital image will be posted later, probably on the index page. Tim lost a wolffish on the surface that was well over 15 pounds. This fish might have taken second place for size. And he lost a fish that could have been another big wolffish or a halibut. We were prepared for a halibut but it was lost long before we were able to see it. He did boat a 13.5 pound wolffish, the third largest fish of the trip. Scott Leavitt won the boat pool for the second largest fish with the second largest fish, a 15 pound monkfish. This is the Bunny Clark's largest monkfish of the season so far. I took a picture of him holding his big goosefish. This digital image appears on the left in this entry. Scott, too, lost a wolffish over 15 pounds on the surface. Like Tim's, I didn't want to gaff it and potentially kill it if we weren't going to keep it (they are illegal to take) so the fish dropped off the hook when I was trying to lift it out of the water. Scott also caught a 12 pound cod that I released after weighing.
Other Angler Highlights: Ruslan Lohin caught the largest haddock of the trip. It weighed 5.75 pounds. Marcin Korszen caught the second largest haddock, a 5 pounder. Although, there might have been another 5 pounder I didn't weigh. I believe that every angler today caught a haddock of at least 4 pounds. We caught very few sub-legal haddock. Mike Atkins had the best chance of landing a porbeagle shark today. He fought it for a good fifteen minutes or more. In the midst of the fight, he lost the fish. When he got his terminal gear back, he found that he lost the shark because his hook was gapped! It wasn't that he was putting that much pressure on the fish. The hook was probably set in the jaw in an odd way. Mike's biggest fish was a cod that weighed 9.75 pounds.
Vinnie Sculpino held out on the catching for the first half of the day in hopes of hooking a big flat one (halibut). When he finally decided to go to the dark side (bait fishing) - Vin can dunk a clam with the best of them - the best fishing was over and the tangling was just getting started. His largest fish was a 10 pound cod. But he did catch two or three haddock over 4 pounds. Craig Belongie caught a 12.5 pound cod, the second largest cod of the trip. He also caught the largest pollock at 6.5 pounds. And he landed the hard luck award for being involved in the most tangles!
Six miles from Perkins Cove, the engine warning light went on, a warning legend showed on the console and the engine speed started to falter. I shut the engine down only to smell coolant. Somehow, I had lost coolant out of the engine and into the pan under the engine. Not trusting babying the engine back so close to home, I called Deb who called my son, Micah. Micah in turn brought out our lobster boat, the Petrel, with Alec Levine, who used to be one of my deck hands, to provide a tow home. We didn't get in until 8:00 PM. I made arrangments with Power Products to be down here at 8:00 AM. As of this writing, I still don't know what is wrong. I guess we will find out! I took a picture of Micah towing us into the outer cove of Perkins Cove. This digital image appears on the right.
In the meantime, I was supposed to meet Senator Susan Collins on the deck at Barnacle Billy's at 6:15 PM. I would have made that date had the engine not broken down. Luckily, I had called my sister, Meg, the night before in case something happened. It was an offshore trip after all. I could imagine being late because we had a lot of fish or were fighting a halibut for longer than expected. But I never expected a break-down like this! Anyway, it all worked out. Meg sent me pictures of her and the good Senator. And I'm sorry I couldn't thank Senator Collins for all the wonderful things she has done for Maine (Kittery Naval Shipyard for one), for the fishery and for us in Perkins Cove with the federal dredging. She has been very good to us and many forget. I haven't.
I received quite a few donations sponsoring me on my ride with the Pan-Mass Challenge today. Those donors and their donations included Tim Rozan for another donation, this time for a generous $160.00. Craig Belongie gave $20.00, Scott Leavitt gave $40.00 and Mike Stump donated $30.00. Thank you all so very much for your support and generosity. This has been a harder year than normal for generating the funding I want. So I appreciate this very much.
At 5:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 70°F, the sky had almost no clouds, the wind was out of the southwest at ten knots and the visibility over the ocean was very good in some haze. Along the shore, the wind blew out of the southwest in the morning and west southwest in the afternoon. It was very warm with a high air temperature of at least 91°F in Perkins Cove, warmer inland. Wind speeds were only about ten knots in the morning, up to fifteen knots in the afternoon. The sky was mostly clear all day. The visibility was very good in some haze. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 87°F with a low of 68°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 92°F (with a low of 62°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 90°F (with a low of 62°F).
I spent the rest of the morning and part of the early afternoon working on the Bunny Clark. Before noon, I helped Skip Dunning from Power Products (Portland, Maine) take the engine apart. The problem was a hole in the aluminum casting between the fresh water pump and the engine. The casting had been scored and compromised to the point where a hole was created allowing coolant to piss out of the engine from the pressure within the engine system. Presumably, the bearings were starting to go in the fresh water pump creating an oscillation, scoring the casting. Had I known that this was the problem, I could have milked the Bunny Clark home by continuing to pour water into the engine with the cap off. By getting a tow, we took a leap forward in damage control. It was the only safe course, not knowing the extent or the true problem.
After Skip left before noon, I continued to work on the Bunny Clark until 1:30 PM. The rest of the day I spent in Barnacle Billy's restaurants.
At 5:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 70°F, the sky was coronavirus clear, the wind was out of the southwest at ten knots and the visibility over the ocean was very good in some haze. The salient weather feature of the day was heat. It was humid as well but not as humid as it could have been. So I guess we were spared. And it was cooler along the coast, here in Ogunquit. The highest air temperature that I saw was 90°F. Wind were light out of the west southwest. The visibility was good in haze. The sky was nearly cloudless all day. It was a quiet warm day overall. We did have a light sprinkle of showers for a time. This shower was so light and so short that it didn't really wet the roads. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 92°F with a low of 69°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 93°F (with a low of 62°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 93°F (with a low of 69°F). The high temperature of 93°F in Portland today tied the record high for this date of 93°F first set in 1964 and, later, set again in 2012.
Since I had nothing really to do on the Bunny Clark, I spent the day at the restaurants. It was busy but not as busy as it should have been on a Saturday, Father's Day weekend.
At 5:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 66°F, the sky was cloudless, there was no wind, the ocean along the shore was calm and the visibility over the ocean was good in haze. By 7:00 AM, that haze turned into fog. It remained foggy along the shore for the rest of the day and into the night. To have fog all day is very rare. The wind blew out of the east all day, sometimes as much as fifteen knots. Mostly the wind was light ten knots or less. The wind hauled out of the east southeast before sunset and cemented any chance of losing the fog after sunset. The sky was sunny only two miles inland. But the sky seemed overcast in Perkins Cove as a result of the fog. Later in the afternoon we did see the orb of the sun through the fog. This didn't last. The highest air temperature that I saw in Perkins Cove was 75°F, the fog and wind off the ocean preventing the air temperature go any higher. Inland, temperatures soared into the 90°s. As you might expect, the visibility over the ocean was poor. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 87°F with a low of 67°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 94°F (with a low of 63°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 71°F (with a low of 62°F).
My day was spent working at Barnacle Billy's restaurants. Every once and a while I would glance at the Bunny Clark tied to float and think about what a year it has been so far. Hard times have not been limited to the Bunny Clark, of course. But I don't know every business's situation. I just know mine. And I know that it's going to be a challenge getting both the restaurants and our fishing business through all this and into 2021.
At 5:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 64°F, the sky seemed overcast, the wind was out of the east at ten knots and the visibility over the ocean was poor in fog. Today's salient weather feature, again, was the fog. Although it didn't enshroud Perkins Cove all day like it did yesterday, it was around all day. Mostly it was hanging just off shore, during a good part of the day. But it was tight to the shore line in the morning and moved in like a spoiled child in the late afternoon and evening, where it remained all night. The wind blew out of the east in the morning, up to twelve and thirteen knots, at most. By 10:00 AM, the wind had already dropped to about eight knots. There was very little wind for the rest of the day. The wind hauled out of the southeast during the early afternoon, which prompted the fog to move in along Ogunquit Beach. There, it moved in and out during the afternoon until moving in for good by 6:00 PM. The wind was light out of the south at 8:00 PM. The sky was sunny all day if you were away from the coast. Along the coast, the fog made it seem like it was overcast, sort of. You could see the sun much more often than yesterday. The visibility over the ocean, of course, was poor. The highest air temperature that I saw was 75°F. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 71°F with a low of 62°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 85°F (with a low of 65°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 75°F (with a low of 59°F).
My whole day revolved around the Bunny Clark and the Barnacle Billy's restaurants. I had a little over an hour of desk work at the restaurant. From 8:00 AM until 9:45 AM, I held a managers meeting to go over some problems and come up with a plan for moving forward with opening up more dining options. I think we covered everything. We also cleared the air about some issues involving team work. It was probably our most productive meeting during this economic crisis.
By 10:00 AM, Skip Dunning, from Power Products, Portland, Maine, showed up with the new fresh water pump and the new casting. Captain Ian Keniston showed up at about the same time.For the next five hours, non stop, Skip worked on getting the engine back together while I helped when needed, cleaned up the engine room and got the boat ready to sail for tomorrow's marathon trip. Ian worked with Skip and I until 2:00 PM, and then had to leave. At 3:15 PM, after I had completed the final cleanup under the engine we decided to go for a sea trial to make sure all the air was out of the fresh water side of the engine. Just as I was putting the antennas down for sailing under the bridge, Skip told me to put the antennas back up. There was a leak of new coolant coming from, what appeared to be, the center of the engine. I feared the worst (a cracked head). But it turned out that it was a crack in the expansion tank! An easy replacement but another day waiting for parts! I was instantly depressed. I have not had much luck this year. I quickly called Deb so she could call customers who were sailing on tomorrow's trip. Meanwhile, I texted two of the customers who I knew were going to be sailing with me tomorrow. In the meantime, Skip was calling the parts department to get another expansion tank over-nighted to Portland. It was a sad ending to an otherwise hopeful day.
I ended up getting home at 5:00 PM. I was going to go back to the restaurant to finish the day there. But getting ready would have meant getting there at 6:00 PM. I had told the crew I might not be back. So I decided to go for a five mile run on the beach, eat dinner and go to be early. I had to be down at the Cove at 3:30 AM tomorrow to make sure I could intercept those patrons who thought they were going fishing with me.
At 3:30 AM, I had the unfortunate experience of telling those anglers who made the trip to sail on the Bunny Clark on today's marathon trip to go home. We called everyone when we knew the boat wasn't going to sail. Three parties didn't get back to us. Those were the ones I talked to this morning. One said they didn't get the call, one had not checked his phone but realized then that we had called and the other, two lobstermen from Stonington, Maine, had a phone mixup. I was disappointed of course; I hate being left ashore when it's my day to be on the boat. And, they were disappointed because they couldn't go out fishing on such a perfect weather day. It was not a good start. Apologies just didn't seem enough.
At 4:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 64°F, the sky seemed overcast, there wasn't a breath of wind, the ocean along the shore was calm and peaceful, the visibility over the ocean was poor in fog. The fog rolled in and out all day, the sky looking like it was overcast. By 5:00 PM, the sky had cleared and it looked like there was no fog in sight. Well after sunset, the fog rolled back in. For most of the morning we had no wind. By noon, we were starting to get a little wind from the south. Southerly winds increased to fifteen knots by the end of the daylight hours. The air temperature reached a high of 75°F in Perkins Cove. The visibility, of course, was mostly poor in fog. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 88°F with a low of 63°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 94°F (with a low of 63°F). The high temperature of 94°F in Concord, NH today tied the record high for this date of 94°F first set in 1888 and, later, set again in 1975.The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 75°F (with a low of 63°F).
With both the restaurants closed and the Bunny Clark waiting for parts, I decided to make this a riding day on the bike. Sometime after 6:00 AM, I jumped on the bike and completed sixty miles before getting back to the house at 9:00 AM. When I realized that Skip Dunning (from Power Products, Portland, ME) wouldn't have the new expansion tank for another hour, I did another twelve miles on the bike. By 10:30 AM, I was showered and working with Skip on the boat. This after a short meeting with Stu Dunn (one of our best managers) at Barnacle Billy's. It took no time for Skip to install the new expansion tank, a little extra time to fill it with coolant and then we did a sea trial to make sure all was working well. I'm not sure if it was my imagination but the engine seemed to be running cooler than normal after taking out the old coolant, flushing the engine with fresh water and adding the new coolant. Skip was off the boat by noon and headed back to Portland.
I had promised a friend that I would go to his house in Kennebunkport to watch the Leicester/Brighton Primier League English football game. The plan was to ride my bike over, watch the game and the two of us would ride back to Ogunquit. The game started at 1:00 PM and the distance was fourteen miles. I got there just in time to see the start of the game. After game, as planned, we rode back to Ogunquit together. I did a little extra riding on my own. This gave me over 124 miles for the day. After a shower, I spent an hour back at the Bunny Clark, cleaning up the mess that was there when I left in a hurry.
Tomorrow's a new and, hopefully, better day.
At 5:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 64°F, the sky seemed overcast, the wind was blowing out of the south at ten knots the visibility over the ocean was poor in fog. The wind blew out of the south all day. Wind speeds stayed around ten knots. The sky was overcast all morning and into the early afternoon, clearing about 4:00 PM, kind of like it did yesterday. The fog hung around for most of the day until that same time. The fog was tight along the shore in the morning but went offshore and to the shore, back and forth, until 4 PM. It rained to the south of us but never rained in Ogunquit. The highest air temperature that I saw was 80°F. The visibility over the ocean was fair. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 86°F with a low of 68°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 87°F (with a low of 69°F).The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 82°F (with a low of 65°F).
On the fishing grounds, the wind blew out of the south at ten knots all day. Seas were chops of two feet over a long sea swell, also of two feet. The highest air temperature under the shade top was 68°F. The visibility ranged from an eighth of a mile to about two miles in fog. They had no rain (although it did rain half way in on the way back home). It was overcast all morning, sunny in the afternoon. The tide was moderate. The highest surface water temperature was 64°F.
The fishing was very good, the catching was very good and the landings were good. Most legal fish landed were haddock. This time, though, the haddock were smaller. They kept every haddock of seventeen inches fork length and larger. The haddock cull was 60/40, favoring the legal sized fish. Legal landings also included four cusk and three mackerel. Released fish included one dogfish, two cod of 5 pounds, a handful of small cod and pollock and one wolffish. Drifting was the method. Bait worked best.
Hank Small was high hook with the most legal fish. He didn't catch a fish over 4 pounds. Dave Sands won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, a 15.5 pound wolffish. This is the Bunny Clark's third largest wolffish of the season to date. There was a tie for second place at 5 pounds each. Both were cod. Shane Jackson caught one and Chris O'Brien caught the other. Less Jackson landed the hard luck award for getting a touch of the mal de mer and for not catching a single legal fish!
As for me, I spent the day at the restaurant. It wasn't a very busy one. But I was able to get much done. Can't wait for tomorrow.
Steve McGrath (NH) did me a solid today by donating $25.00 to my cancer fund raising project called the Pan-Mass Challenge. The event itself is cycling journey of 192 miles in two days that has been canceled. But, really, the event is just a gift to those, like myself, who try to raise money for cancer research and care. Steve had been supporting me in this cause since I started in 2007. Thanks so much, Steve. It's so very much appreciated.
At 3:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 63°F, the sky clear, the wind was blowing out of the west at eight knots the visibility over the ocean was very good at least.
We had a great ride out to the fishing grounds. The visibility was excellent, the air temperature was mild, the sky was clear and we saw a beautiful sunrise over calm seas. The wind was blowing out of the west when we left the dock and remained out of the west all the way to the fishing grounds.
On the grounds, the wind continued to blow out of the west. Wind speeds were light, five knots or so. The surface of the ocean was ruffled, is all. Around noon, the wind hauled out of the southwest and blew up to ten knots with a one foot chop. An hour later, the wind was still out of the southwest but only at three to five knots. No chops. Most of the ride home was the same. The air temperature reached a high of 74°F in the shade, the warmest day on the ocean this year so far.. The tide (current) was very strong, hardly fishable in some places. Tangles were much greater than normal with a smaller than average passenger list. The visibility ranged to over twenty miles. The sky was a sun and cloud mix with mostly clear skies. The surface water temperature reached a high of 67.5°F, the highest ocean surface water temperature of the season to date..
Ashore, these were the air temperatures in selected New England cities: In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 86°F with a low of 69°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 86°F (with a low of 53°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 83°F (with a low of 60°F).
The fishing was good, at best, with the strong current all day. We caught few dogfish, thank God. But the few dogfish we did get created massive tangles with the strong tide. The catching was very good overall. Landings were good or better than that all morning, excellent in the afternoon. The last stop, where the tide had backed off a skosch, we had a haddock blitz going and left the fish biting when the time ran out. It looked like the fish were looking for more hooks on the sounding machine. In fact, from the time we stopped fishing, cleaning boat, giving out the pool and hauling the anchor, the haddock still showed prominently on the sounding machine.
Most legal fish landed were haddock, followed by cusk and pollock. It could well have been our best pollock catch of the season. There were very few sub-legal haddock with a cull of seven to one, legal to sub-legal fish. Legal landings also included seven redfish. Released fish included eleven dogfish, seven cod of 5 to 13 pounds, seventeen small cod, five small pollock, three cusk and two wolffish. We alternated between drifting and anchoring. We did far better on the anchor when the tide wasn't so strong, better on the drift when the tide was the strongest. All terminal gear worked well but bait worked best for the haddock.
I don't know who was high hook. If I were to guess I would say it was Rick Wixon. But we had five other anglers who had exceptional landings. Rick's largest fish was a 9 pound cod. I also weighed an 8 pound pollock of his. Rick also had the best double of the day. This catch included a 7.5 pound pollock and an 8.5 pound pollock, both fish caught on the same line at the same time. Rocco Ventura, III won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, a 15.25 pound pollock. This is the Bunny Clark's fourth largest pollock of the fishing season so far. I took a picture of Rocco holding his good pollock. This digital image appears on the left. Rocco also caught the largest cusk of the day at 9.5 pounds. Rocco Ventura, IV won the boat pool for the second largest fish with the second largest fish, a 13 pound cod. This fish, of course, was released after I weighed it. He caught the second largest pollock of the trip with one that weighed 9.75 pounds. The third largest fish was a 12 pound cod caught by Tony Oliveira. Tony also caught the largest haddock of the trip at 5 pounds and another cod that weighed 8.5 pounds.
Other Angler Highlights: Tim Rozan caught the second largest haddock of the day at 4.5 pounds. It might have been the first fish of the trip. We didn't see another haddock of 4 pounds or better until the last stop of the day. Vince Sculpino caught the first fish I could weigh, a 6 pound cusk. His largest fish was a 9 pound wolffish, the largest wolffish of the trip. Philip Newton caught a double that included a 6 pound pollock and a 6.5 pound pollock. These were his two biggest fish. Tom Dobitsky had a slower than normal morning. He hooked a lot of fish, mostly haddock, but lost about eighty percent with the strong tide. He thought it was him. I assured him it was not him. I was proven right on the last two stops of the day. On both stops, Tom had a haddock a cast, all legal sized fish. Dana Decormier had a great day, in numbers of legal fish. His largest was a 6 pound cod. Patrick Newton landed the hard luck award today for being the sole hurler. The first half of the trip found him in the forecastle. He fished for almost the whole second part.
I received some much appreciated donations sponsoring me in the Pan-Mass Challenge today. As you must know by now, this is a cycling event where I try to generate money for cancer research through the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, Massachusetts. I belong to a team that supports a doctor who is involved in genetic profiling where she isolates the gene causing the cancer and "shuts it off" by targeting the gene with a specific chemical, thus bypassing chemo and radiation treatments. She has been successful on seven individuals. Knowing that the gene that causes melanoma has been recently discovered, her research has huge implications for the future. On top of this, Dr. Kate Janeway is a wonderful individual who has survived cancer herself. Those who supported me today and their donations included Tom Dobitsky for $20.00, Rick Wixon for $50.00, Patrick Newton for a generous $80.00 and Dana Decormier for another generous $80.00 donation. Thank you all so very much for your help and support. This is all so very thoughtful.
At 5:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 61°F, the sky was clear, the wind was blowing out of the southwest, barely, the ocean along the shore was calm and the visibility over it was very good in some haze. Ashore, the wind blew out of the southwest at five to ten knots. The sky was mostly clear. The visibility was very good in some haze. The air temperature in Ogunquit was somewhere over 80°F. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 86°F with a low of 67°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 85°F (with a low of 57°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 85°F (with a low of 59°F).
On the fishing grounds, the wind blew out of the southwest at five to ten knots. The air temperature got up as high as 68°F under the shade top. The visibility ranged to about fifteen miles in haze. The sky was sunny. The tide (current) was moderate overall, stronger in the morning. Seas were chops of a foot over a two foot swell. The surface water temperature reached a high of 64°F.
The fishing, catching and landings were very good today. Most legal fish landed were haddock, by far. The haddock cull was 65/35, legal to sub-legal fish. Legal landings also included a pollock, twenty cusk, two mackerel and two cunners. Released fish included a handful of small cod, a few small pollock, four dogfish and ten cod over 5 pounds. They drift fished for the trip. All terminal gear worked well but bait was best in the morning.
Ian couldn't tell me who was high hook. Troy Boyd won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, a 12 pound cod. Troy also caught a 4 pound haddock. The second largest fish was an 11.25 pound cod caught by Jeff Page. Dan Killay caught the third largest fish, a 6.26 pound cod.
Other Angler Highlights: Keith Costigan caught a 6 pound cod, the fourth largest fish of the trip and the first fish to be weighed. James Ash caught a 5.5 pound cod. Chris Helander caught the largest haddock of the trip at 4.5 pounds. Mike Fries landed the hard luck award for the most tangled lines.
At 5:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 59°F, the sky was hazy clear, there was no wind, the ocean along the shore was glassy calm and the visibility over it was very good in some haze. Ashore, there was very little wind here all day. It was out of the southwest but not much more than five knots. The sky was sunny for most of the morning. By around 10:00 AM, the sky started to cloud over. The sky was overcast for the rest of the day. It was supposed to rain here in the afternoon but it never did. The visibility over the ocean was good to very good in haze. The highest air temperature that I saw in Perkins Cove was 83°F. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 83°F with a low of 65°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 82°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 eight knots. Seas were calm with a ruffled surface over a two foot long rolling sea swell. The air temperature reached a high of 69°F under the canopy top. The visibility ranged to fifteen miles in haze. The tide was moderate. The sky was overcast for the whole time fishing. The surface water temperature reached a high of 65°F.
The fishing was excellent, the catching was fair as were the landings. It was the slowest day for landings of the season so far. It wasn't because the fish weren't there. I just don't believe there was anything going to stimulate them. It was good in the morning, dead without even a bite for a couple of hours and then a pick after the tide change. Legal landings included fifty-seven haddock and three cusk. Released fish included one dogfish, a couple of small cod and twenty short haddock. Drifting was the method. Only bait and cod flies were used today - no jigs.
Ian couldn't tell me who was high hook. Scott Duboff won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, a 4 pound haddock. Dolly Smith was the high hurler of the trip. Yes, there were others on such a calm day. Dolly landed the hard luck award t-shirt for her efforts.
Our head chef at Barnacle Billy's, Etc. quit last night. Barnacle Billy's, Etc. restaurant is not open. But we cook all the fried food and some other meal options there. So the position was not a full one since the Covid crisis started. However, it will be a full position eventually. And we are light on employees anyway. He was one of the best in his position and I will certainly miss him, Tom Sullivan. So I spent the morning assessing the situation and working toward getting through another bump in the road. There have been many this season so far.
At 5:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 61°F, the sky was hazy clear, there was no wind, the ocean along the shore was glassy calm and the visibility over it was very good in some haze. Ashore, the wind stayed light out of the south or southwest all day. I never did see much over five knots of wind. The ocean along the shore remained calm. The highest air temperature that I saw in Ogunquit was 75°F. The visibility was good in some haze. The sky was sunny all morning, partly sunny for the early afternoon and overcast for the rest of the day with the threat of showers. We did get a little sprinkle around 6:00 PM but it didn't last. Later in the night, we got some rain. The communities around us got rain with thunder and lightning during the afternoon when we saw none. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 81°F with a low of 64°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 84°F (with a low of 57°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 79°F (with a low of 62°F).
On the fishing grounds, the wind blew out of the southwest at five knots to less than that later in the trip. The surface of the ocean was calm with no detectable swell. The air temperature reached a high of 70°F in the shade. The visibility ranged to fifteen miles in haze. The tide (current) was moderate. The sky was sunny. The surface water reached a high temperature of 68°F.
The fishing was excellent. There were few dogfish, the current wasn't a factor and the weather conditions were perfect for humans sailing on the high seas. The catching was very good. Legal landings were good, far better than yesterday's trip. Most legal fish landed were haddock, by far. The haddock cull was two to one, favoring the legal sized fish. Legal landings also included fifteen cusk, two whiting, two cunners and one pollock. Released fish included five cod of 5 pounds or better, fifteen small cod, a couple of sub-legal pollock, four dogfish, the small haddock and two wolffish. Drifting was the method. Bait worked best.
Ian couldn't tell me who was high hook. Derek Bard won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, a 14 pound wolffish. This wolffish is officially tied for the fourth largest wolffish of the Bunny Clark season so far. I say officially because we lost two beside the boat that were both over 15 pounds. In fact, those fish were closer to 20 pounds. I always use the 15 pound figure because that used to be the minimum acceptance weight for a trophy wolffish in the state of Maine. The second largest fish was also a wolffish. This other wolffish weighed 10 pounds and was caught by Ron Covey. Nancy Kitchen caught the third largest fish, a 6 pound cod.
Other Angler Highlights: Ron Neil, more accustomed to catching strange sea creatures, caught the first fish to be weighed, a 5 pound cod. Eric Taylor caught the largest haddock of the trip at 4 pounds. Max Sokolov caught a 5.5 pound cod. Jay Saucier landed the hard luck award for being the sole hurler of the trip, taking one for the team!
I worked at the restaurant all day. I did a 53 mile ride on the bike early in the morning, planning on riding with a group of cyclists (Maine Coast Cycling Club) out of Kennebunkport. But my knee was bothering so I rode up to the group and rode with them for three miles or so, bailing out and going on my own. When I got back, I could hardly walk after icing it.
At 5:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 64°F, the sky was probably clear but was obscured by fog making it impossible to tell, there was no wind and the visibility over the ocean was poor in fog. It had been raining a couple hours before. At 3:00 AM, the air temperature was 67°F. That turned out to be the warmest air temperature that I saw in Ogunquit. The air temperature at 2:00 PM in Perkins Cove was 62°F. It was foggy, drizzly with a bit of light rain until around 10:00 AM. The sky remained overcast but the fog backed off from the shore. The sky stayed overcast all day but it didn't start raining until 3:00 PM. It rained continuously from then on. Sometimes it was a hard rain. Sometimes it was light. The wind, after being so calm at sunrise, hauled out of the northeast and was blowing at fifteen knots by 9:00 AM. By noon, we had gusts up to twenty knots. But it never got any stronger than that. It actually backed off a bit but was still blowing at almost fifteen knots at 5:00 PM. The visibility improved with the wind shift but only landed in the "good" category. With the rain, it was only fair to good. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 73°F with a low of 63°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 76°F (with a low of 63°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 67°F (with a low of 63°F).
On the fishing grounds, the weather was completely different. Upon arrival, the wind was out of the south at five knots. The ocean was calm. The wind hauled more southeast and picked up to ten knots with seas of a foot or more over a long ocean swell of about two feet. It wasn't until they were more than half way in that they found the northeast wind. The air temperature reached a high of 67°F, much warmer than it was ashore. At the start they had a quarter of mile of visibility in fog. This increased to five miles with the increase in the wind speed. The sky was overcast all day. They didn't see any rain until they were almost to Perkins Cove. The tide (current) was moderate. The surface water temperature reached a high of 67°F.
The fishing, catching and landings were 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 eighteen pollock, thirteen cusk, a whiting and a cunner. Released fish included five dogfish, twenty-eight cod over 5 pounds, as many or more small cod, a few small pollock and a wolffish. Drifting was the method. All terminal gear worked well.
Ian couldn't tell me who was high hook. Don Robichaud won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, an 11 pound wolffish. The second largest fish was a 10.5 pound cod caught by Jeff Beaudoin. Jeff also caught a 9 pound cod. Third place was shared by two anglers with fish of 10 pounds each. John Lambert caught one, a pollock. Ray Wrightsman caught the other, a cod. John also caught a 9 pound pollock and a 7 pound pollock. Ray landed the largest haddock at 4 pounds. Plus, he caught another cod that weighed 7 pounds.
Other Angler Highlights: Stacey Guyette landed a 5 pound pollock, the first fish to be weighed. Dan Bailey caught a 6 pound cod. His largest fish was an 8 pound pollock. Mike Shubelka caught an 8.25 pound cod. Mike Stains caught a 9 pound cod, his largest fish. Barbara Wrightsman caught a 7.5 pound cod, her largest fish. Mattlock Stains was the hardest hit by the dreaded mal de mer. For this he landed the hard luck award t-shirt!
At 3:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 63°F, the sky was overcast, it was misty but there was no rain, the roads were wet, there was no wind and the visibility over the ocean was poor in fog.
It was a bumpy ride to the fishing grounds. The wind was out of the east northeast so wherever we went we were going to be heading into it to some degree. Seas were chop/seas of two to three feet with the occasional queer one. The air temperature was in the low 60s, the visibility was good in some haze, the sky was overcast and most everyone was comfortable.
On the grounds, the wind blew out of the east northeast at ten knots, hauled out of the northeast before the morning was out and then out of the north northeast for most of the afternoon. Wind speeds were ten knots, more or less Seas were chops of about two feet, more or less over an underlying three foot sea swell. The air temperature reached a high of 68°F in the shade. The tide (current) was moderate. The sky was overcast all day. It looked like rain at times but we never saw any. The visibility ranged to over twenty miles. The surface water temperature reached a high of 67°F.
Ashore, these were the air temperatures in selected New England cities: In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 68°F with a low of 63°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 77°F (with a low of 63°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 71°F (with a low of 62°F).
The fishing was excellent. We drift fished for most of the day and anchored when I felt we might do better. Either way, it was very easy to tend bottom. The drift was perfect for almost the whole day. The catching was very good. Landings were good or a little better than that. Most legal fish landed were haddock, by far. The haddock cull was three to one or for every four haddock caught only one was sub-legal. Legal landings also included twenty-one pollock, four redfish, twelve cusk, one halibut and two cunners. Released fish included the short haddock, twenty-eight dogfish, seventy-one cod over 5 pounds, twenty-seven short cod, seven small pollock, a cusk, four wolffish and seven sculpins. We had so many cod in the 10 pound range that I only weighed a few. It was the best day for market cod I have seen this season, by far. Bait seemed to work best but cod flies caught the most pollock by far.
I don't have a clue as to whom was high hook. Everyone caught a lot of fish. Herb Huntington won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, a 68 pound Maine state trophy halibut. We were in an area where I have caught many halibut before. And I told everyone before they dropped lines down that it was perfect conditions for catching one and it was the perfect time of day. Herb caught his fish with a bait hook with a white Mojo. The hook had a snelled monofilament leader but the hook was never deep enough to chaff it. And Herb's drag was perfect. I knew what he had as soon as he hooked it.I took a picture of Herb holding his prize. Although a resident of Maine with much fishing experience, this is the first halibut that he as ever caught. The digital image of the halibut with Herb holding it appears on the left. He was a very happy guy and I was happy for him.
Steve Selmer won the boat pool for the second largest fish with the second largest fish, a 19 pound pollock. This is the Bunny Clark's second largest pollock of the fishing season to date. I took a picture of Steve holding his nice pollock. This digital image appears on the right. Some of Steve's other good fish included a 14 pound cod, a 17 pound cod and three cod of 10 pounds each. Steve's 17 pound cod is currently the third largest cod that has been caught on the Bunny Clark this season so far. Todd Mallory caught the third largest fish, an 18.5 pound cod. This is the Bunny Clark's second largest cod of the season so far. He caught several cod of 10 pounds or more pounds that I didn't have time to weigh. One of those fish was about 15 pounds that was lost on the surface right next to the boat.
Other Angler Highlights: Eight year old Nate Shaw caught two cod of 10 pounds each, an 8 pound cod and a 3 pound haddock. And these were only the fish that I weighed. Fred Tarde caught an 11 pound wolffish and an 11 pound cod, his two biggest fish. Dan Bailey caught a 9 pound cod and the largest wolffish of the trip at 13 pounds. Derick Baba caught a 13 pound cod, his biggest fish. Kevin Baker caught an 11 pound wolffish, his largest fish. Vince Stelwach caught an 11 pound cod, which he released. Tyler Ghizionni caught a 10 pound pollock early in the trip and then caught a 16.5 pound pollock right near the end. He hooked the pollock in the side on a drift. I had no idea what he had in the beginning, thinking that he probably had the bottom, initially. Tyler had to fight through a few tangles to get this fish. I don't know what we would have thought that he had on his line had he lost the fish. But all's well that ends well! Tyler's pollock is currently the fourth largest pollock that has been caught on the Bunny Clark this season so far. Karl Day never did get that halibut - although he has caught his share on other boats. His largest fish was an 8 pound pollock. Leo Lamoureux caught one of the bigger cod today at 13.5 pounds. He also landed the hard luck award t-shirt partly because he lost three jigs, casting them away, and partially because, on the last trip, another angler claimed his fish number and walked off with Leo's fillets! I also gave a hard luck award t-shirt to Marco Zegarra who spent the day in the Hotel Bunny Clark and never did wet a line!
I received several donations sponsoring me in my cancer research project with the Pan-Mass Challenge today. Those donors and their donations included Herb Huntington for $40.00, Dan Bailey for $30.00, Kevin Baker for $40.00, an anonymous donation of $20.00 and a generous $100.00 donation from Michael & Sally Sanders (CT) as an "eGift" through the PMC site. . Thank you all so very much for your support and generosity. I certainly appreciate your thoughtfulness!
At 5:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 63°F, the sky seemed overcast (you couldn't tell with the fog), there was no wind and the visibility over the ocean was poor in fog. Ashore, we had fog and overcast skies all morning. It didn't rain but it looked like it was going to. The roads were dry by 9:00 AM. After noon, the fog broke, the sky was clear and there was no wind. The ocean along the shore was flat calm with light wind ruffles. The visibility was good after the fog left. We did have some haze. The highest air temperature that I saw in Ogunquit was 72°F. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 72°F with a low of 63°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 79°F (with a low of 62°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 75°F (with a low of 62°F).
On the fishing grounds, there was no wind. The ocean was flat calm all day. The air temperature reached a high of 78°F in the shade under the canopy top. It was hot in the sun; like sitting on a mirror. The sky was a mix of sun and clouds with most of the sun in the afternoon. The visibility ranged from ten to fifteen miles in haze. The tide (current) was light. The surface water temperature reached a high of 66°F.
The fishing was excellent. With few dogfish, a flat calm ocean, very little current and no wind, the Bunny Clark was the perfect fishing platform. The catching too was nearly excellent. Landings were good, very good for those who knew how to cast a jig. Most legal fish landed were haddock, by far. Legal landings also included two pollock, four cusk and three whiting. Released fish included thirty-five short haddock, nine dogfish, five cod over 5 pounds, a handful of small cod and pollock and two wolffish. Drifting was the method. All terminal gear worked well.
Dan Killay was high hook with the most legal fish including the bag limit of haddock. His two best fish included a 6 pound cod and a 5.5 pound cod. The 6 pound cod tied for the third largest fish of the trip. Dan Kelley was second hook with two fish less. Joel Gaines won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, a 9.75 pound cod. The second largest fish was a 7 pound cod caught by Lauren Johnson. Don Johnson tied with Dan Killay for the third largest fish of the trip with a 6 pound wolffish. Don also caught the largest haddock at 4.5 pounds.
Other Angler Highlights: Hannah Dufault caught the first fish of the trip to weigh, a 5.5 pound wolffish. Heidi Hughes landed the hard luck award for not being able to tune her equilibrium to the motion of the ocean.
Don & Lisa Johnson donated $50.00 to my quest to solve the cancer riddle through the Pan-Mass Challenge today. They have donated to my cause for every year since I started in 2007. And most times they meet me at the finish of event in Provincetown, Massachusetts. Not this year. This year the ride is going to be a virtual one. So I will not be seeing them on Cape Cod this year. The event is fun but the thrust of what I do is to support cancer research. Cancer never sleeps and the research must go on. Thank you, Don & Lisa. I so very much appreciate the help!
At 5:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 61°F, the sky was cloudless, there was no wind and the visibility over the ocean was poor in fog. We had little wind in the morning so the fog hung around until at least 10:00 AM before dissipating. After noon, the wind, out of the south, piped up to ten knots. That was all the wind that we got for the day. The sky was clear and sunny all day. The visibility was poor to fair over the ocean. The highest air temperature that I saw in Ogunquit was 80°F. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 85°F with a low of 64°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 92°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 61°F).
On the fishing grounds, the wind blew out of the southwest at five to ten knots. Seas were chops of less than a foot. The air temperature reached a high of 68°F under the canopy top. The visibility ranged from a quarter of a mile to five miles in haze and fog. The tide (current) was moderate. The sky was overcast all day (it could have been the fog). The surface water temperature reached a high of 66°F.
The fishing was excellent, the catching was very good and landings were good. Most legal fish landed were haddock by far. The haddock was 50/50, legal to sub-legal fish. Legal landings also included a cunner and six cusk. Released fish included the small haddock, a few small cod and pollock and one wolffish. They drift fished for the day. Only bait and cod flies were used today.
Ian couldn't tell me who was high hook. Tanner Wottan should have won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish. He brought a wolffish of about 10 pounds or more to the surface but it got off the hook before it could be brought on to the boat and weighed. You can't keep wolffish so the fish couldn't be gaffed. And this has been the case on several occasions this season. We have caught many big wolffish that have dropped off the hook while trying to lift them by the leader into the boat. Deb Currier won the boat pool for the largest fish with the second largest fish, a 7.25 pound cusk. The third largest fish was a 3 pound haddock caught by Thomas Tsumble.
Other Angler Highlights: Kevin Keegan caught a 2.75 pound haddock, the fourth largest fish of the trip. Trish Coulombe was the high hurler today and landed the hard luck award for her efforts.
Captain Ian Keniston and Captain Ally Fuehrer ran the half day (4PM - 8PM) trip today. It was sunny with a light southerly wind and an air temperature close to 80°F at the dock before they left for the ride to the fishing grounds. On the grounds, the wind blew out of the south at ten to twelve knots. Seas were chops of a foot or more. The sky was a mix of sun and clouds to mostly clouds as thunder storms skirted the area. Areas surrounding Ogunquit received thunder showers where we did not. Nor did they see any rain during the trip. The high air temperature in the shade was 68°F. The visibility ranged from ten to fifteen miles in haze. The tide (current) was moderate. The surface water temperature reached a high of 66°F.
The fishing was very good. Catching and landings were slow, slower than expected. Legal landings included two haddock and one cusk. Released fish included one sub-legal cod, four sub-legal haddock, six small pollock and five small redfish. They drift fished and anchored. Everyone used bait.
Cani Williams won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, a 2.25 pound cusk. There was a tie for second place at 2 pounds, both haddock. Cliff Allard caught one and Jake LeBlanc caught the other. Daman LeBlanc landed the hard luck award for being the hardest hit by the dreaded mal de mer.
I received a very generous $500.00 donation from Jon & Fran Leavitt (NH) sponsoring me in the Pan-Mass Challenge today. The "Challenge" is a cycling event that has been canceled but designed as a gift to those who raise money for cancer research and care. Jon & Fran have supported me in this project since I started it in 2007. So far I have raised over $355,000.00 in the fourteen years that I have been involved. Thank you, Jon & Fran, for the support, love, generosity that you give me every year. I very much appreciate the help.
Our Governor Janet Mills announced on Tuesday that individuals coming from the states of New York, Connecticut, New Jersey, New Hampshire, Maine and Vermont did not have to quarantine or test negative for Covid-19 before entering our state. However, this new edict does not included Massachusetts or Rhode Island. Individuals from those two states still have to quarantine or test negative for Covid-19 before entering Maine. Governor Charlie Baker of Massachusetts called Governor Mills today to inquire about her decision in this matter and the exclusion of Massachusetts citizens. When Governor Mills was asked what she said to Governor Baker she told the Press tonight that she hadn't responded yet. I believe that Governor Mills' heart may be in the right place but she isn't working with the Maine Legislature on this crisis, she has no known plan of action and decisions are not timely enough to help the businesses in our area. My opinion is that she is not much of a leader and seems confused.
At 5:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 70°F, the sky was overcast, the wind was blowing out of the northeast at fifteen knots and the visibility over the ocean was very good. At 4:00 AM, there was no wind and the air temperature was 72°F. That was the highest air temperature that I saw today. By 6:00 AM, the wind was blowing out of the northeast at a sustained twenty knots. It was misty/raining with fog, dropping the visibility to poor looking out to sea. By 10:00 AM, I noticed the air temperature had dropped to 63°F, two degrees lower than it had been an hour earlier. There was no fog at this time, the misty rain had stopped, the roads were dry and the sky was overcast. After noon, the northeast wind kept up, it might even have blown harder for a while. But as the day progressed the wind got less. By 7:00 PM, we had a light northeast wind. The sky remained overcast for the rest of the day. The visibility over the ocean became good. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 77°F with a low of 62°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 74°F (with a low of 63°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 73°F (with a low of 62°F).
On the fishing grounds, the wind blew out of the east northeast from ten knots to twenty knots with higher gusts. Seas were three to five feet in chops with the occasional queer one. The high air temperature was 63°F. The visibility ranged from a quarter of a mile in fog to ten miles after the fog disappeared, leaving a haze of sorts. The sky was overcast for the trip. There was no rain. The tide was moderate. The surface water temperature reached a high of 61°F.
The fishing was poor; the seas were just too much, particularly for catching haddock. And there were a few dogfish to spoil the party. The catching was good. Landings were fair to 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. Legal landings also included seven pollock, three cusk and a winter flounder. Released fish included twelve cod of 5 pounds or more, twenty-five dogfish, a handful of small cod and pollock and one wolffish. They drift fished and anchored. All terminal gear worked well.
Dick Lyle was high hook with the most legal fish. I don't believe he caught a fish over 4 pounds. Anthony Palumbo could have caught the largest fish of the trip, a halibut. But after the first run back to bottom, somehow, the fish got off the hook. Buzz Leonard won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, a 10 pound wolffish. The second largest fish was a 9 pound pollock caught by Ken Curry. There was a tie for third place at 8.5 pounds. Ben Leach caught one, an 8.5 pound pollock. Mike Conklin caught the other, an 8.5 pound cod. Mike also caught a 6 pound cod that Ian weighed and released.
Other Angler Highlights: Roger Leach, Sr. caught the first fish that Ian could weigh, a 7.5 pound cod. Ryan Laubauskas caught a 6.5 pound cod. Ethan Laubauskas landed the hard luck award for becoming the high hurler of the trip. Actually, we had two notable sick anglers. Captain Ally Fuehrer was one who claimed it wasn't sea sickness. Others attested to her claim. The other was deck hand, Tyler Carpenter, who sprinted out of the forecastle after attempting to clean a "mistake" in the head and hurled over the side. When Ian attempted some verbal advice, Tyler made it clear that he didn't need any by flipping him the bird! I wish I had been there!
I received a generous $100.00 donation from Roger Leach, Sr. (NJ) sponsoring me in the Pan-Mass Challenge, now a virtual cycling event for cancer research. This puts me just inside the $11,000.00 mark for the year so far. Thank you so much, Roger, for your thoughtfulness and generosity. I do so appreciate it, although I feel I didn't convey this as much as I could have at the dock when you gave it to me. All the best to you!
At 5:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 61°F, the sky was partially cloudy with clear patches, the wind was blowing out of the north at eight knots and the visibility over the ocean was good in some haze. The sky looked like it was going to clear. By 9:00 AM, it was evident that this was not going to happen. The sky remained overcast all day. The wind blew out of the north for part of the morning and then hauled out of the east southeast before noon. The wind was out of the southeast at eight knots or so by later afternoon. The visibility over the ocean was good during the morning. By 5:30 PM, the fog had moved in leaving the visibility fair at best. The highest air temperature that I saw was 71°F. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 70°F with a low of 61°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 87°F (with a low of 59°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 70°F (with a low of 60°F).
Since the boat didn't sail today, I spent the whole day at the restaurant. It was our busiest day this season to date. But this doesn't compare, nearly, to last year and we are quite far behind what we could have been doing to this point. With the new restrictions, we have not enough capacity to do the business we would like to be doing. By in large, patrons feel safe at Barnacle Billy's. I have been going to every table every day and asking customers about the service, the food and how they feel in this new environment. I have not had one complaint. Most say that they are just happy that we are open. Everyone I have polled have said they feel very comfortable and safe with the way we have things set up. And I have run into quite a few who have told me that it was their first time dining-in since the crisis started. So we will do our best to play this one out and see what happens. And much could happen if we don't keep our employees and patrons safe.
At 5:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 63°F, the sky seemed overcast, there was no wind to write about and the visibility over the ocean was poor in dense fog. It started to rain around 7:30 AM. We could see a small cell headed for us on the radar app that I have on my phone. There wasn't anything behind it. By 9:00 AM, the roads were almost dry and the rain was gone for most of the day. The fog stayed with us all day. It backed off away from the shore during the late afternoon. You could see the fog line just offshore. The wind blew lightly out of the northeast in the morning. Wind speeds were not as strong as ten knots. Before the morning was out, the wind was blowing out of the southeast. The wind blew out of the southeast up to ten knots at times on into the night. The fog crept back along the shore at 6:00 PM. The highest air temperature that I saw was 72°F. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 79°F with a low of 64°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 88°F (with a low of 63°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 69°F (with a low of 63°F).
On the fishing grounds, it was calm. The ocean surface was calm over a long two foot sea swell. The air temperature reached a high of 65°F. The visibility ranged to a quarter of a mile in fog. The sky was overcast. The tide (current) was light. The surface water temperature reached a high of 63°F.
The fishing was excellent, the catching was very good and landings were good. It was a very nice day to be fishing with the calm ocean. Most legal fish landed were haddock, by far. The haddock cull was 70/30, favoring the legal sized fish. Legal landings also included six pollock and one cusk. Released fish included twenty dogfish, a few small cod and pollock, five cod of 5 pounds or more and the small haddock. Drifting was the method. Bait and cod flies caught the most fish.
Ricky Umana was high hook with the most legal fish. His best fish was a 3 pound haddock. He and Jeff Blais both caught a haddock of that size, the largest haddock of the trip. Spencer Peck won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, a 9.75 pound cod. The second largest fish weighed 6 pounds. There were two caught, both cod. Jeff Blais caught one. Marie Ruman caught the other. Marie also landed the hard luck award for being the most consistently tangled!
Captain Ian Keniston and Tyler Carpenter ran the half day (4PM - 8PM) trip today. It was foggy with a light southerly wind and an air temperature close to 70°F at the dock before they left for the ride to the fishing grounds. On the grounds, the wind blew out of the south at five to ten knots. Seas were chops of a foot with an underlying sea swell of about two feet. The air temperature on the grounds was 66°F. The visibility ranged from a half mile to ten miles in fog and haze. The tide was light. The sky was overcast. The surface water temperature reached a high of 64°F.
The fishing was very good, it was almost a perfect evening for anglers sailing on the ocean. The catching and landings were poor. Landings included three haddock and three red hake. Released fish included eight dogfish and a couple small cod. They drift fished and anchored. Almost everyone used bait.
April Turner won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, a 4 pound cod. The second largest fish was a 3 pound haddock caught by Ryan Dwyer. Dan Dwyer caught the third largest fish, a 2.25 pound cod.
Other Angler Highlights: Sean Halpin landed a 2 pound haddock. Eric Randell caught a 1.5 pound haddock that lost part of it's weight due to a gutting by a dogfish on the way up from bottom. Caroline Gilbody landed the hard luck award for getting hit with the dreaded mal de mer. She wasn't the only one but she was the best!
I, of course, spent the day at the restaurants. I'm happy to say that we had many happy customers today. It was foggy all night but the air temperature was warm enough that it was still pleasant to sit outside. We never did get the rain storms predicted until after 10:00 PM. So we were closed and buttoned up well before then.
Captain Ian Keniston and Tyler Carpenter ran the extreme day trip today. At 5:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 63°F, the sky seemed overcast, the wind was light out of the northeast and the visibility over the ocean was poor in fog. It was foggy and wet until about 8:00 AM. We had a little bit of rain around 7:00 AM. But it was very light and didn't last. The fog hung around the coast until 9:00 AM and then moved off and disappeared. The sky was overcast all morning. By noon, the sky had cleared and the visibility was very good, at least. The sky was cloudless from 2:00 PM until sunset. The wind blew out of the northeast up to ten knots or less in the morning and then hauled out of the south in the afternoon. Southerly wind were blowing at eight knots at 7:00 PM. The highest air temperature that I saw was 72°F. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 70°F with a low of 63°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 82°F (with a low of 59°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 74°F (with a low of 61°F).
On the fishing grounds, the wind blew out of the east northeast at five to ten knots. Seas were chops of a foot over a rolling long sea swell of about two feet. The wind hauled out of southeast on the way back to Perkins Cove. The air temperature was 66°F for a high on the grounds. The visibility ranged from a quarter of a mile in fog to over twenty miles later in the morning. The sky was overcast in the morning and clear after noon. The tide was light. The surface water temperature reached a high of 64°F.
The fishing, the catching and the landings were very good, at least. Most legal fish landed were haddock, by far. The haddock cull was four to one or for every five haddock caught, only one was sub-legal. Legal landings also included four pollock, one cusk and one halibut. Released fish included the small haddock, five cod of 5 pounds or more, ten dogfish, a handful of small cod, a couple of sub-legal pollock and one wolffish. Drifting was the method. All terminal gear worked well.
Dick Lyle was high hook with the most legal fish. His haddock count was double the bag limit. His largest fish was a 7 pound cod, the third largest fish of the trip. Troy Boyd was second hook right behind Dick. Troy won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, a 74 pound halibut. This is the Bunny Clark's largest halibut of the fishing season so far. It's also the largest fish that Troy has ever caught. Captain Ian took a picture of Troy with his iPhone (and Tyler - right) holding up Troy's prize. This digital image appears on the right. Troy also caught the second largest fish, a 9 pound wolffish.
Other Angler Highlights: Miguel Paulino landed the hard luck award for attaining high hurler status.
I, again, worked in the restaurant all day. We were busy. Not crazy busy but busy enough. I talked to many good people today. It made my heart soar.
At 9:00 PM EDT the air temperature was 63°F, the sky clear, the wind was light out of the south and the visibility over the ocean was very good.
We went under the footbridge over Perkins Cove at 10:30 Monday night, headed for the fishing grounds. We had a nearly full moon, it's beam reflection leading us down the channel and out to the open ocean. I was at the helm for nearly an hour. I wanted to make sure that all systems were functioning properly before I retired to a bunk. Sean Devich took the wheel from me after I was satisfied. The ocean was nearly calm for the ride to the fishing grounds. And I guess that after we passed Jeffrey's Ledge, the ocean was like glass. For most of the ride, however, there was a light southerly wind and a half chop. The visibility was excellent, the sky was clear and the air temperature was in the sixties.
On the grounds before sunrise, the wind blew very lightly out of the south, just enough to make a ripple on the ocean surface.The ocean was calm until noon. After noon, the southerly wind got progressively stronger. When we headed home the southerly wind was blowing at fifteen to twenty knots. Seas were three to four feet in chops. It was a bit windier for the ride home with chops of four or five feet with the occasional larger chop. The air temperature reached a high of 68°F in the shade. The tide (current) was strong all day, too strong for my liking. The sky was sunny with few clouds. The visibility ranged to over twenty miles. The surface water temperature reached a high of 65.6°F.
Ashore, these were the air temperatures in selected New England cities: In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 80°F with a low of 62°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 84°F (with a low of 58°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 72°F (with a low of 58°F).
The fishing was very challenging with the strong current and larger numbers of dogfish than I am used to seeing offshore. I would put the fishing in the good category. No better than that. The catching and landings were somewhere between good and very good, very good if you included the dogfish. Most legal fish landed were haddock, by far. The haddock cull was six to one or for every seven fish caught, six were of legal size to keep. Legal landings also included sixty-one pollock, twenty cusk, a peewee monkfish and a halibut. Released fish included sixty-two dogfish, twenty-seven cod of 5 pounds or more, twenty small cod, the small haddock, eleven short pollock, three wolffish and a sub-legal halibut. We alternated between drifting and anchoring. Cod flies caught the lion's share of the legal fish.
Bob Mayer was high hook with thirty-eight legal fish. His largest fish was probably a cod of about 10 pounds that I didn't weight. His largest haddock weighed 4 pounds. And he had a pollock or two over 6 pounds. Marie Harding won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, a 47 pound halibut. This is the largest fish that she has ever caught. It also ties for the third largest halibut/fish caught on the Bunny Clark this season so far. I took a picture of Bill Harding holding her halibut with Marie peeking over his shoulder. This digital image appears on the left. Her second largest fish was a 15 cod. She caught the only monkfish of the day at 4.5 pounds, the Bunny Clark's third largest goosefish of the season to date. And Marie caught the Bunny Clark's largest double of the year, so far, today. Her catch included a 10 pound cusk and an 11 pound cusk, both fish caught on the same line at the same time.
Adam Towle won the boat pool for the second largest fish with the second largest fish, a 28 pound sub-legal halibut. This is Adam's first Atlantic halibut. It's also the Bunny Clark's fifth largest halibut of the fishing season to date. I took a quick picture of him holding it with my iPhone before he released it alive. This digital image appears on the right. Adam's second largest fish was a 12 pound cod. Dick Lyle won the boat pool for the third largest fish with the third largest fish, a 21 pound cod. This is the Bunny Clark's second largest cod of the fishing season to date. Dick has always been an excellent cod fisherman. His largest pollock weighed 10.25 pounds and he caught the largest wolffish of the trip at 16.5 pounds. This wolffish is the third largest wolffish caught on Bunny Clark this season. We had two other wolffish up to the boat that we lost that might have been 16 pounds or bigger but never got the chance to weigh them before they got off the hook.
Other Angler Highlights: Bill Harding caught a 4 pound haddock, one of the bigger haddock of the trip. Lewis Hazelwood caught the second largest pollock of the trip at 11.5 pounds. Joe Columbus caught an 8.5 pound pollock, a 12.25 pound cod, a 10 pound cod, an 11 pound pollock and a double that included a 6.25 pound pollock and a 9.5 pound pollock. Donna "D.J." Moran caught the largest haddock of the trip at 5 pounds. Her largest fish was an 8 pound pollock. Tim Rozan caught most of the big cusk today. His two largest weighed 11 pounds each. Mark LaRocca caught the second largest wolffish of the trip at 16 pounds. This is officially our fourth largest wolffish caught this season to date. I caught a 12 pound pollock today, hoping to catch a haddock or a halibut. I didn't fish very long but that was the only fish I caught. Ty Kashmiry did very well but I never weighed any fish of his. I'm sure he had a fish of 8 pounds or so. Ty broke off the same jig twice and ended up getting it back after each loss. He never did lose that jig! Donna Moran landed the hard luck award by popular demand but for no good reason.
I received two donations sponsoring me on my ride with the Pan-Mass Challenge today. Joe Columbus gave me $40.00 and Don & Bec Stedman donated $50.00 "In Memory of Their Brother, Jim Stedman.". Thank you all for your thoughtfulness, generosity and kindness. I also appreciate the kind words, Don & Bec. All of this is so very much appreciated.
At 5:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 66°F, the sky was overcast, the wind was blowing out of the south at ten knots and the visibility over the ocean was good in haze. The sky remained mostly overcast for the day. At times we saw the sun in the morning. But we didn't see the sun for long. The afternoon saw overcast skies. We had thunder showers after 5:00 PM. Rain showers along with very little thunder and lightning continued into the night, stopping at about 9:30 PM. The wind blew out of the south all day. Wind speeds were no more than ten knots. In fact, it seemed like the southerly wind was pinned at ten knots all day. The air temperature was hot and muggy but I never did look at a thermometer. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 85°F with a low of 67°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 84°F (with a low of 67°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 blew out of the south at ten knots for the trip, just as it did along the shore. Seas were a one foot chop over a rolling sea swell of two to three feet. The air temperature reached a high of 68°F under the shade top. The sky was overcast. The visibility ranged from ten to fifteen miles in haze. The tide (current) was moderate. The surface water temperature reached a high of 64°F on the fishing grounds.
The fishing, catching and landings were very good today. Most legal fish landed were haddock, by far. And it was a great haddock day today. For one angler, Dan Killay, it was a fish a cast all day long. The haddock cull was 80/20 favoring the legal sized fish. Legal landings also included four pollock, two cusk and two whiting. Released fish included a dogfish, two cod over 5 pounds, a handful of small cod and pollock, two wolffish and one halibut. Drifting was the method. All terminal gear worked well.
Dan Killay was high hook with the most legal fish. His largest fish was a 14.5 pound wolffish, the second largest fish of the trip. Captain Ian took a picture of Dan with his nice "cat". This digital image appears on the right. Dan also caught the only other wolffish of the trip. His other weighed 6 pounds. Alex Pendenza won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, a 22 pound sub-legal halibut. Captain Ian weighed this fish, got a quick picture with Alex holding it and then released it alive. This digital image appears on the left. Alex also caught the second largest fish of the trip, a 10 pound cod.
Other Angler Highlights: Mark Coleman caught the largest pollock of the trip. It weighed 5 pounds. Nick Brooks landed the hard luck award for being the most effected by the motion of the ocean. We had a couple today.
We were going to run an afternoon trip today. We were just shy of a full boat. However, the thunder storm warning put the wood to that idea with every single potential angler canceling.
I spent the day at the restaurant, working in the office, talking to patrons and making sure everyone was comfortable, happy and healthy. With everyone feeling so well and everything going so smoothly, people, employees and customers alike, tend to become lax in the PPE department. I need to maintain the safety measures we have put in place in order to make this business a success.
Mark Coleman (NY) donated $30.00 to sponsor me in the Pan-Mass Challenge today. This is a charity cycling event for cancer research. The ride itself is going virtual but cancer never sleeps and neither does the fund raising, of which I am still heavily involved. Mark has donated to my cancer cause since I started funneling money in that direction in 2007. Thank you so very much, Mark. Always good to see you aboard and always appreciate you being there and your support with my fund raising.
At 5:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 64°F, the sky was probably clear but you couldn't tell due to a blanket of coastal fog, there was no wind and the visibility over the ocean was poor in fog. The fog hung around all morning and into the afternoon. It was still out on the ocean at 2:00 PM but it was well out there, leaving the shoreline clear. We really had no wind all day long. What wind we did have was variable in direction. The ocean along the shore was flat with calm and wind patches. At 5:00 PM, the wind came up out of the east southeast but it too was light. The sky was clear but you never would have known it was in the morning. The fog made it seem like it was overcast. The visibility was, of course, poor for most of the day. I never did look at the air temperature. I can tell you that it was very warm. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 85°F with a low of 67°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 84°F (with a low of 67°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 81°F (with a low of 65°F).
There was no wind on the fishing grounds. The ocean was flat calm. The air temperature reached a high of 78°F under the shade top. The visibility ranged to a quarter of a mile or less in fog. The tide (current) was light. The sky seemed overcast. The surface water temperature reached a high of 67°F.
The fishing was excellent, the catching was very good as were the landings. Most legal fish landed were haddock, by far. However, almost every haddock caught was of legal size. There were only fifteen haddock that were sub-legal. Legal landings also included four cusk and one whiting. Released fish included thirty dogfish, six cod of 5 pounds or more, a handful of small cod and pollock and a wolffish. Drifting was the method. All terminal gear worked well.
This is the first trip in four that we haven't seen a halibut. Jay O'Connor had a big fish on but lost it on the run to bottom. He didn't have the fish on long enough to know that it was a halibut. Jay won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, an 8 pound cod. He also caught the third and the fourth largest fish, a 7 and a 6 pound cod. Michelle Allison caught the second largest fish, a 7.5 pound cod. She also caught a 5.5 pound cod.
Other Angler Highlights: Lea Neumeyer caught a 5.5 pound cod. Rich Blake caught the only wolffish. It weighed 5.75 pounds. Cheri Gilbert was the sole hurler today. For her condition she won the hard luck award.
Captain Ian Keniston and Tyler Carpenter, with Chase Marshall, ran the half day (4PM - 8PM) trip today. It was foggy with no wind and an air temperature close to 80°F at the dock before they left for the ride to the fishing grounds. On the grounds, the ocean remained calm with the wind absent for the whole time fishing. The air temperature reached a high of 75°F. The visibility ranged to a quarter of a mile or less in fog. The sky was a mix of sun and clouds through the fog. The tide was light. The surface water temperature reached a high of 68°F.
The fishing was excellent, the catching was very good and landings were good. Legal fish landed included six cusk, two whiting, three mackerel and a squirrel hake. Released fish included a handful of small cod and pollock. Drifting was the method. Only bait and cod flies were used.
Max Rothburd caught the largest fish, an 8.5 pound cusk. Max did not get in the boat pool. The second largest fish was a 6 pound cusk caught by Sam Rothburd. He too did not enter the boat pool. Sam also caught a cusk that weighed 4.5 pounds. Eight year old Lowell Sheehy won the boat pool for the largest fish with the third largest fish, a 5 pound cusk. This was Lowell's first fish ever. He also caught and released a 4 pound cod.
Other Angler Highlights: Grant Edgerly caught a small whiting and a 3.5 pound cusk. Troy Marcotte also caught a small whiting. Carter McCracken caught a small cod and another cod of 2.25 pounds. Craig Rothburd landed the hard luck award for forgetting his wallet in the car and not getting his boys in the boat pool!
Patrick Sheehy (NH) did me a solid by donating $20.00 to my cancer fund raising drive with the Pan-Mass Challenge today. A cancer survivor himself, I met him with the boat came back from the trip. Thank you for your thoughtfulness, Patrick. I really appreciate your help and support. This is a hard time we are going through right now. So your generosity is extra special to me.
At 5:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 66°F, the sky was probably clear but you couldn't tell due to a blanket of coastal fog, there was no wind and the visibility over the ocean was poor in fog - again. Ashore, the fog hung around all day today, the thickest it has been on any day this year so far. Wind were light out of the south and southeast. The ocean along the shore was calm. The visibility along the shore was terrible, of course. The highest air temperature that I saw was in Wells today at 78°F. I never saw an air temperature above 75°F in Perkins Cove. We did see peeks at the sun very occasionally but it was very brief. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 78°F with a low of 69°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 87°F (with a low of 69°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 82°F (with a low of 67°F).
On the fishing grounds, the wind blew out of the south at five knots, at most, all day. The ocean was calm. Ian didn't record the air temperature but said that it was warm. The tide (current) was moderate. The visibility ranged from a quarter of a mile to a mile in fog. The sky appeared overcast but probably looked that way because of the fog, the same as coastal Ogunquit. The surface water temperature reached a high of 67°F.
The fishing, catching and landings were all excellent today, the biggest day we have had for a while. The variety of species was up, quantity was up and the conditions for it were excellent. Everything was biting. Most legal fish landed were haddock. And there were a lot of haddock. The haddock cull was 50/50, legal to sub-legal fish. Legal landings also included eleven pollock, eight cusk, a whiting, a cunner and a halibut. Released fish included forty dogfish, five cod over 5 pounds, a handful of small cod and pollock, four wolffish and one halibut. Drifting was the method. All terminal gear worked well but bait worked best for the haddock.
High hook could not be determined today. I would tell you that it was Troy Boyd. But I wasn't there. Such is his reputation. Troy's largest fish was a 7 pound pollock. Mike Smith won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, a 66 pound halibut. This is the Bunny Clark's third largest halibut and the sixth halibut we have caught in six trips. It's also the first Atlantic halibut that Mike has ever caught. Captain Ian took a picture of Mike holding his fish with a smiling Ron Neil in the background, with his mask off for the occasion. This digital image appears on the right. The second largest fish was a halibut of about 50 pounds caught by Kevin Harding, brought to gaff after the bigger halibut. We are only allowed a single halibut for a trip so they played around with the fish trying to get it out of the water without hurting the fish. They were unsuccessful and the fish flipped off the hook and swam away. Kevin also caught an 11 pound wolffish. The third largest fish was a 15 pound wolffish caught by Brandon Williams. This is, officially, our fifth largest wolffish of the season. I say "officially" because we lost two beside the boat that were bigger than that.
Other Angler Highlights: Pat Dean caught the first fish to weigh for the pool, a 6.5 pound cod. Dan Nye caught an 11.5 pound wolffish and a 7 pound cod, his two best fish. Carroll Wade caught the largest pollock of the trip at 9 pounds. She also caught a 7 pound pollock. Carl Bisson caught the largest haddock at 4 pounds. Derek Bisson caught a 10 pound wolffish. The hard luck award shirt was given to Kevin Harding for not being able to boat his halibut and hold it for a picture!
At 5:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 66°F, the sky was probably clear but you couldn't tell due to a blanket of coastal fog, there was no wind and the visibility over the ocean was poor in fog - again. More later.
We have our number one deck hand in Tyler Carpenter. A wonderful individual, he is the type of high quality person I love to see as a mate. But I do need another. And I would like a more permanent deck hand as Tyler is going to U. Maine in the fall. If anyone is interested you can call 207-646-2214.
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