Bunny Clark Fishing Update
Written & Edited by Tim Tower
Friday, May 20, 2022, 5:30 AM EDT
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At 3:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 46°F, the sky was overcast, the wind was blowing out of the south at five knots ashore (ten knots at the Portland lightship) and the visibility over the ocean was excellent.
We headed into a wind and chop from the south after we left the gate to Perkins Cove behind us. Chops were about three feet but spaced further apart than I thought they would be, a sign that the wind was dying. The wind was about fifteen knots when we started but dropped to ten knots before we even got half way out. The sky was overcast. The visibility was excellent. The air temperature was 45°F.
On the grounds, the wind backed off and then hauled out of the southwest. We had southwest wind for some of the morning. At some point I noticed that the wind had backed out of the south again. Wind speeds were ten to fifteen knots with seas in chops of a couple feet. There was an underlying swell that made them seem a bit bigger at times. The sky stayed overcast all day. It was misting for the last two hours on the grounds. It wasn't wet enough to have to don oil gear. But it was certainly damp enough to make you feel cold, particularly if you didn't have gloves on. We had reduced visibility by mid morning. This was progressive enough that we had a maximum visibility of three miles in fog and haze. The tide (current) was moderate. The surface water temperature averaged 43°F.
Ashore, these were the air temperatures in selected New England cities: In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 55°F with a low of 46°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 58°F (with a low of 45°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 55°F (with a low of 42°F).
The fishing was very good all day. We did have a chop but it wasn't bad, the tide was perfect for drifting or anchoring and it was so easy to tend bottom. The catching and landings were very good to excellent. Most legal fish landed were haddock by far. In fact, the haddock fishing was so good that, by 8:00 AM, we had stopped keeping haddock with a fork length under twenty inches for fear of going over the bag limit. In other words, just about every haddock we put in the boat was over 3.5 pounds. The only haddock that weren't that big were just a few that we caught in the first hour of fishing. The average haddock size was the biggest we have seen so far this season. All but five haddock that were released today were of legal size. There were many haddock in spawning mode and many haddock that had already spawned, a very different fish than we have seen. Legal landings also included sixteen redfish and seven cusk. Released fish included the haddock, two wolffish, two redfish, two sculpins, four sub-legal pollock, twenty-nine small cod and two cod over 5 pounds. The drift was perfect initially but we weren't catching the haddock I was seeing. So after the first drift, I anchored and that more than did the trick. We ended up having to go back to drifting for the last two hours of the fishing. We had already caught the boat's bag limit on haddock by that time. Bait worked best.
I couldn't tell you for sure who was high hook with the most legal fish. We were releasing so many legal ones that a fillet count wouldn't have done any good. If I were to guess, I would say that Ted Harris (PA) was the man. Ted's largest fish was a haddock that weighed 5.75 pounds. Gus Carter (PA) won the boat pool for largest fish with the largest fish and he won the boat pool for the second largest fish with the second largest fish of the trip. His two fish were both cusk. One weighed 8.5 pounds and the other weighed 7.25 pounds. Gus' largest haddock weighed 5 pounds.
Other Angler Highlights: Len Walker (PA) caught the largest haddock of the day with a fish that weighed 6 pounds. This is the Bunny Clark's second largest haddock of the season to date. And it was the third largest fish of the trip. I took a picture of Len holding his haddock just after boating it. This digital image appears on the left. Two other haddock of his that I weighed included one that was 4 pounds and another that was 5.5 pounds.
James Jones (PA) landed a 4.75 pound haddock, his biggest. He also caught the largest cod at 5.5 pounds. I took a couple of casts and caught two haddock, the biggest weighing 4 pounds. On the third cast I lost the jig to something that I hooked on the bottom (Rookie!). Don "Manly Number Twelve" Stancil (PA) would probably have been high hook had he not been tangled so often. Rudy Burton (PA) caught a 4 pound cod, a 5.25 pound cod and a 5.5 pound haddock. He also landed the hard luck award for getting a bit green around the gills and, later in the day, hurling over the side! To his credit, he kept right on fishing.
At 5:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 48°F, the sky was overcast, it had been raining earlier, the wind was blowing out of the southwest at five knots ashore, the ocean along the shore was calm and the visibility over the ocean was good to very good in some haze. The sky stayed overcast all day. We also had periodic light rain all day as well. That until 6:00 PM, when the wind switched to a position out of the northwest that brought stronger wind and clearing skies. The wind all day was fairly light out of the west and southwest until that time. Wind speeds after 6:00 PM were twenty knots, increasing to twenty to twenty-five knots before midnight. The visibility was hampered by the rain during the day. But, overall, the it was good to very good. The highest air temperature that I saw was 53°F. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 59°F with a low of 42°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 56°F (with a low of 39°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 51°F (with a low of 37°F).
On the fishing grounds, the wind blew out of the west at five to ten knots. Seas were small chops over a rolling sea swell from the southeast of two to three feet. The sky was overcast with occasional light rain. The visibility was poor in fog and rain in the morning with about a quarter of a mile visibility. Later, the visibility opened up to fifteen miles. The air temperature was mild. The tide (current) was moderate. The surface water temperature reached a high of 44°F.
The fishing was excellent yet again. Anglers had no problem holding bottom and the conditions were nearly excellent for sailing humans on the high seas. The catching was excellent. Landings were very good, excellent for haddock. Most legal fish landed were haddock, by far. They had no problem catching the boat's bag limit. And, like yesterday, most of the released haddock were of legal size. A very small percentage of haddock were sub-legal. Legal landings also included a pollock and three cusk. Released fish included the haddock, three cod of 5 pounds or better, quite a few small cod, a couple of small pollock and a sculpin or two. Drifting was the method. Bait worked best for the haddock. Bait and jigs worked well for cod.
Fred Kunz (NH) was far and away high hook today. I wasn't informed as to whether he fished bait or jigs. But I suspect that he was most interested in catching haddock so I assumed he used bait. He didn't catch any fish of significant size which also leads me to believe that he stayed with bait fishing. James Feeney would have been proud! Marty Buskey (NY) caught the two largest fish of the trip as a double. He double included a 10 pound cod and a 7 pound cod, both fish caught on the same line at the same time. The 10 pounder is the Bunny Clark's second largest cod of the fishing season so far. His catching it also secured him the boat pool for the largest fish. And his double is currently the largest Bunny Clark double of the season to date. The third largest fish was a 5.25 pound haddock caught by Tina Imwalle (FL).
Other Angler Highlights: Len Walker (PA) caught a 4 pound haddock, one of the bigger haddock caught today and the first fish that Captain Ian weighed to start the boat pool. John Imwalle (FL) landed the hard luck award for losing a porbeagle shark.
I received two donations sponsoring me in my cancer fund raising bike ride called the Pan-Mass Challenge today. Marty & Elise Buskey (NY) gave me a check for $50.00 this morning before the boat headed to sea. Don Stancil (PA) donated $100.00 after the Bunny Clark came back to Perkins Cove. Don, Marty & Elise have been very generous in their support of my cancer research project over the sixteen years that I have been involved. They are also so very encouraging as well. Thank you so much. I do appreciate your thoughtfulness and help.
At 5:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 38°F, the sky was mostly clear, the wind was blowing out of the northwest at twenty-five to thirty-five knots (It was blowing up to forty-five knots two hours earlier) and the visibility over the ocean was excellent. The wind blew all day out of the northwest. Wind speeds of thirty knots sustained were common, strongest near the later two hours of the morning. After noon, the wind did back off a bit to twenty and twenty-five knots. But closer to sunset the wind picked up again to twenty-five and thirty knots. It was a good day to stay away from the offshore grounds. The air temperature reached a high of, at least, 52°F in Perkins Cove. The visibility over the ocean was excellent. The sky remained partly cloudy. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 53°F with a low of 39°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 51°F (with a low of 32°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 50°F (with a low of 35°F).
The focus of my day was getting Barnacle Billy's, Etc. ready to open for it's first day of business. So pricing on everything was revisited and working out product details was top of the list.
We opened Etc at 5:00 PM. As is tradition, we closed Barnacle Billy's (Original) at the same time that Etc was opened. We had a game crew and it was fun seeing our regular patrons. It is always like a homecoming. The opening at Etc isn't as crazy as it is at Original. It never has been. We have less of a party atmosphere at Etc. But I almost like it better. It was a very smooth start thanks to the management staff at Etc.
At 5:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 37°F, the sky was mostly clear, the wind was blowing out of the northwest at twenty knots and the visibility over the ocean was excellent. The wind blew out of the northwest at twenty to twenty-five knots until around 8:00 AM, when it hauled out of the north. Northerly winds blew for the rest of the day. Ashore, the wind remained at twenty to twenty-five knots with higher gusts. But, from the offshore buoy reports, the wind had less velocity. The wind ashore retained it's same strength on into the night. The sky was mostly clear all day. The air temperature rose to about 52°F, that I saw. The air temperature probably was warmer than that. The visibility remained excellent. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 57°F with a low of 40°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 53°F (with a low of 35°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 50°F (with a low of 37°F).
Since the Bunny Clark didn't sail and it was Friday, I spent most of the morning at the restaurants. Fridays are my morning to open the restaurants until a manager comes to relieve me at 9:00 AM. After 9:00 AM, I drove to Dave Pease's house to thank him for all his winter work on the boat and talk about how things were going. At noon, I was back at the restaurant for the rest of the day. I spent a fair amount of time in the office there.
The price of fuel went to $6.00/gallon today which, to us, was heartbreaking news. This means that we are going to have to consider a higher fuel surcharge. And one wonders where this is going to end. Do we charge $25.00 to $30.00 on top of the fare one already pays for taking a fishing trip? We are going to discuss those options tomorrow morning before the trip. Tomorrow's trip won't be affected. But the following trips will. Stay tuned!
At 5:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 42°F, the sky was mostly overcast, the wind was blowing out of the north at fifteen knots and the visibility over the ocean was excellent. Ashore, the wind blew out of the north at fifteen to twenty knots for the early part of the morning, ten to fifteen knots by 9:00 AM and then light from the northeast, calm and then light south for the rest of the day. We had very little wind all day but, again, it was an on shore breeze where the highest air temperature that I saw in Perkins Cove was 52°F. The visibility was excellent over the ocean. The sky was mostly clear after sunrise. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 54°F with a low of 41°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 59°F (with a low of 28°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 58°F (with a low of 41°F).
On the fishing grounds, the wind blew out of the north northeast at fifteen to ten knots. The wind was light after that. Seas were two foot chops over sea swells of two to three feet. The chops dropped during the day but the swells remained. The air temperature was mild. The visibility ranged to over twenty miles. The tide (current) was moderate. The sky was sunny. The surface water temperature reached a high of 43°F.
The fishing was a bit dicey in the morning with the chops and swells. But the fishing became excellent once the seas dropped a bit. The catching and landings were excellent during the early part of the morning, less so during the later morning and early afternoon. Most legal fish landed were haddock, by far. The haddock cull was 4.5 to 1. In other words, for every 5.5 haddock caught, one was sub-legal. Legal landings also included one pollock, two redfish and eleven cusk. Released fish included twenty-five dogfish (the first dogfish that we have seen this season so far), three cod of 5 pounds or better, a small pollock or two, the small haddock and a few smaller cod. They anchored and drift fished. Bait and cod flies caught the most fish.
Ian couldn't tell me who was high hook with the most legal fish today. There were many anglers who landed an equal number of fish on the upper end. Mitch Monini (ME) won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, a 7.5 pound cod. The second largest fish was a 6.25 pound cusk caught by Vince Monini (NY). There was a tie for the third largest fish at 5 pounds each, both cusk. One was caught by Edie Mans (NY). The other was caught by Reed Pouloton (NY).
Other Angler Highlights: Scott Shafer (NY) caught a 4 pound haddock, his best fish. Tim Squires (NY) also caught a 4 pound haddock as did John Jenkins (NY). Frank Feirro (NY) caught our largest pollock of the season to date at 4.25 pounds. Willi Mitchell (NY) landed the hard luck award for getting sea sick. It sounds like he might have been the only one. His comment; "I knocked seasick off my bucket list!" Ouch!
At 5:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 42°F, the sky was clear, the wind was light out of the west and the visibility over the ocean was excellent. The wind along the shore was light for most of the day. The wind direction started out of the west or northwest and then hauled out of the northeast. We had no wind more than eight knots until the afternoon. The wind hauled out of south after noon. The wind velocity was, at most, ten knots. The sky stayed clear all day. The visibility was excellent all day. The highest air temperature that I saw in the parking lot of Perkins Cove was 54°F. The wind off the water was a huge influence of the ambient air temperature. It was warmer on the northwest side of the deck of Barnacle Billy's. There was no wind in that spot and the sun was very warm! In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 61°F with a low of 45°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 71°F (with a low of 30°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 57°F (with a low of 38°F).
On the fishing grounds, the wind was light out of the north in the morning, five knots or less, and then out of the southeast at ten knots in the afternoon. Seas were calm in the morning with a light chop in the afternoon. The sky was clear and sunny all day. The visibility ranged to over twenty miles. The tide (current) was moderate to strong. The air temperature was mild. The surface water temperature reached a high of 44.5°F, the highest surface water temperature of the year so far.
The fishing was nearly excellent. The catching was nearly the same and landings were very good overall. Most legal fish landings, again, were haddock. And thank God for them! The haddock cull to day was about seventy-five percent legal. And there were quite a few haddock that were larger than we have seen. Legal landings also included seven redfish and fourteen cusk. A monkfish was also caught and released. Released fish included the short haddock, sixteen dogfish, one small wolffish, a cod of 5 pounds and a few small cod and pollock. They anchored and drift fished. All terminal gear worked well today.
Ian couldn't tell me whom was high hook. However, I would bet that it was either Ray Washburn (VT), Mike Hatch (ME) or Anthony Feldpausch (ME). Mike Hatch won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, a 5.75 pound haddock. This is a tie for the third largest haddock caught on the Bunny Clark this season so far. The second largest fish was a 5 pound cod caught by Jim LeMay (ME). There was a tie for third place in fish size between two anglers at 4.25 pounds each, both haddock. Anthony Feldpausch caught one and Rory MacEachern (MA) caught the other. And Rory could have been one of the high hooks today as well.
Other Angler Highlights: Ray Washburn caught the first monkfish of the season. It looked to be about a pound. Ray's largest fish was a 4 pound haddock. Dean Wolf (NJ) landed the hard luck award t-shirt for snapping off all his terminal gear on the first cast of the day. I say, get the bad luck over with on the first cast. Other than that, Dean did well.
I received a very generous $250.00 donation from Ray Washburn sponsoring me in my cancer research project with the Pan-Mass Challenge today. Ray has been a big supporter of this project over the years. Thanks so much, Ray. I really do appreciate all your support and generosity!
At 5:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 43°F, the sky was clear, the wind was light out of the northeast and the visibility over the ocean was very good in a bit of haze. Ashore, the wind blew out of the northeast and, later, east at ten knots or less until finally dying out before 6:00 PM. At that time there was no wind at all and the ocean's surface was glassy. The sky started out clear but clouds kept creeping in all morning. By 1:00 PM, the sky was, essentially, overcast with a smurry sun on occasion. No peek at the sun was available after 3:00 PM. The visibility was excellent overall. The highest air temperature that I saw in Perkins Cove was 52°F. It seemed way too cool most of my working day at the restaurants. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 56°F with a low of 45°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 59°F (with a low of 38°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 55°F (with a low of 36°F).
On the fishing grounds, the wind blew out of the east southeast at five to eight knots. Seas were small chops over a sea swell of two to three feet. The tide (current) was stronger today with the lingering effects of the new moon. The air temperature was mild - if you were dressed for it. The visibility ranged to over twenty miles. The sky was sunny in the morning and overcast in the afternoon. The surface water temperature reached a high of 44°F.
The fishing was good, in my opinion, with the stronger current and the number of dogfish caught today. We don't expect to see dogfish this early in the season. The catching was very good and landings were good to very good overall. Most legal fish landed were haddock, by far, as you would expect. Eighteen percent of all the haddock caught today were too small to keep legally. Legal fish also included six redfish and thirty-six cusk. Released fish included the sub-legal haddock, a small wolffish, forty-five dogfish and a few small cod. They anchored and drift fished. Bait worked best today.
Fred Kunz (NH) was high hook with the most legal fish and, certainly, the most fillets when I saw him walk off the boat this afternoon. No jig stick for Fred today. It was bait all the way. And, if this keeps up, we may have to initiate a slogan like this for Fred. I'll sleep on it. Fred's best fish today was a 4.25 pound haddock. Jack Judge (CT) won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, a 7.75 pound cusk. The second largest fish was a 5.5 pound cusk caught by Ray Washburn (VT). There was a tie again for the third largest fish at 4.5 pounds, both haddock. Doug Venton (NY) caught one and Ron Antanavich (ME) caught the other.
Other Angler Highlights: Don LaBarge (NY) caught a 4 pound haddock. Roger Allen (OH) managed to reach high hurler status and took home the shirt.
At 5:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 45°F, the sky was overcast, it had been raining earlier and looked like it will be raining again, the wind was light out of the east and the visibility over the ocean was very good.
Ashore, these were the air temperatures in selected New England cities: In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 54°F with a low of 47°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 51°F (with a low of 45°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 49°F (with a low of 44°F).
On the fishing grounds, the wind blew out of the southeast at five to ten knots. The ocean surface was fairly calm over a two to three foot long rolling sea swell. The sky was overcast all day with occasional light rain. The visibility was reduced with fog. The visibility ranged from a mile or less in the morning to five miles in the afternoon. The tide (current) was moderate. The air temperature was mild. The surface water temperature reached a high of 45°F.
The fishing was excellent. There were no dogfish caught, the tide wasn't a factor, they had no porbeagle encounters and the weather was perfect. The catching and landings were very good overall. Most legal fish landed were haddock, by far, the boat bag limit caught without problem. Forty percent of the haddock caught, including some legal sized fish, were released. Legal landings also included eight redfish and sixteen cusk. Released fish included the haddock, five cod of 5 pounds or more and a few small cod, sculpins and pollock. Drifting was the method. All terminal gear worked well with bait having a slight edge.
We had some excellent anglers on the boat today, all of whom caught a lot of fish. As a result, it was impossible to tell who was high hook with the most legal ones. It was also impossible to know who released the most legal fish. Dan Kelley (ME) won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, a 7.5 pound cod. He also tied for the third largest fish of the trip with 5.5 pound cod. Mark Girard (NH) caught the second largest fish of the trip, a 6 pound cusk. He also tied with Dan for the third largest fish of a trip at 5.5 pounds. Mark's fish, however, was a haddock. Mark catches big haddock; he's known for it!
Other Angler Highlights: Mr. High Hook himself, Steve Shugars (ME), caught a 4 pound haddock, the largest of Steve's haddock that Ian weighed. Steve normally is high hook and well could have been today. George Williams (ME) caught two haddock of 4.25 pounds each. Jeff Cragin (ME) landed the hard luck award for being the sole hurler of the trip.
In Italy, it was the day before the big game tomorrow. We landed in Rome at 9:00 AM and found a taxi to our hotel about forty-five minutes away. Both Andy and I slept on the plane. So after getting our rooms we walked around Rome, eating lunch and becoming American tourists overseas. For dinner, we found a restaurant with a big screen TV and ate while watching the Champion's League football semi final between Manchester City and Real Madrid in a thriller than saw City lose at the very end of the game, a totally unexpected outcome. This got me excited for the game coming up tomorrow.
Ashore, these were the air temperatures in selected New England cities: In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 70°F with a low of 50°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 69°F (with a low of 39°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 67°F (with a low of 46°F).
On the fishing grounds, the wind blew out of the northeast at five knots or less. The ocean surface was calm over a two foot long ocean swell. The sky was sunny and clear. The visibility ranged to over twenty miles. The air temperature was mild to warm. The tide (current) was moderate. The surface water temperature reached a high of 48°F.
The fishing was excellent. With a moderate tide and only two dogfish, it was very easy to tend bottom and to feel the bite at the end of a line. The catching and landings were very good overall. Most legal fish landed were haddock, by far, the bag limit for the boat easily attained. Approximately forty percent of the haddock caught were released alive so as not to go over the bag limit. Legal landings also included a pollock, seven redfish and twenty cusk. Released fish of note, besides the haddock, included eight cod of 5 pounds or better and one wolffish. They broke off two porbeagle sharks. Drifting was the method. All terminal gear worked well.
Ian couldn't tell who was high hook. We had some exceptional anglers aboard today. Fred Tardie (MA) won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, a 9 pound wolffish. This is our largest wolffish of the season to date. Fred also caught the third largest fish, a 7.25 pound cod. His largest haddock weighed 5.75 pounds. The second largest fish was an 8 pound cod caught by Diane Godbout (NH). She won the boat pool for the second largest fish with this fish. And it was the second largest fish of the trip. Diane also caught the fourth largest fish of the trip, a 7 pound cod. Her largest haddock weighed 4 pounds.
Other Angler Highlights: Lewis Hazelwood (MA) caught the first fish to be weighed for the boat pool, a 4 pound haddock. Later in the day he caught another haddock that weighed 4.5 pounds. I believe that it was his biggest haddock of the trip. Tim Rozan (ME) landed a 5.5 pound haddock, his best fish. He had already caught a 4.5 pound haddock before that. Bob Mayer (ME) landed a 4 pound haddock and a 4.5 pound haddock, his two best fish. Mark Girard (NH) caught the largest haddock of the trip weighing in at 6 pounds. This is a tie for the second largest haddock of the season so far.
Joe Synoski (PA) caught a 5 pound haddock, his best fish. Ray Godbout (NH) caught a 5.5 pound haddock, his best fish and biggest haddock. Anita Synoski (PA) landed the hard luck award for catching no significant noteworthy fish. Hey, Ian had to figure out a reason to give the shirt away, despite everyone's successful trip.
Meanwhile, back in Rome, Andy Armitage and I made our way to the futbol game at Olympic Stadium. We were advised not to walk to the stadium which was only a half mile as the crow flies from our hotel. In fact, we were not supposed to walk there. We did. And we did so in a manner that took us with many Roma fans. We didn't wear any gear that said "Leicester City" but we did stand out as we were walking with Roma fans who were decked out with scarves, hats and kits. We were approached a couple times, once to start a fight that we managed to avoid easily enough. Had we not been on the main drag, it might have been a problem.
We managed to make it to the entrance for Leicester fans, diametrically opposite from where the Roma fans entered. We went through three sets of security lines, the stadium security, the Rome police and the Italian Army in their green berets. We were patted down all three times. We were told where to enter the stadium where Leicester fans had their own piece of the pie, so to say, a wedge of seats for 5,000 fans out of the possible 70,000 seats available in the stadium. If you don't know, stadiums in the UK and Europe allow a small percentage of away fans in their own section away from the home fans. You can't touch the home fans but Leicester fans were involved in throwing flares into the Roma side and visa versa. There were also beer cups, etc thrown around. This did distract from the game a bit for me. Plus, there was in-fighting in the Leicester side that our seats were not a part of. In fact, we couldn't get to our seats because they were taken by others before us. This was just as well because fans were battened by Italian riot police at one time during the game. And it is doubtful we would have been able to avoid some of this in some way, had we been there.
Below is a shot of Andy and I before the start of the game right in the middle of our section. I'm the guy in the glasses with less hair.
Below is a shot I took of the apex of the "V", showing the riot police on both sides with green and blue helmets. I don't know the significance of the two colored helmets. But the police with a particular color helmet stayed together. Notice the riot shields.
It turned out that we were able to get a taxi within twenty minutes, getting us back to our hotel unscathed by 2:00 AM. (the game had started at 9:00 PM) I also learned that Stadio Olimpico is considered the second most dangerous stadium in the world, the stadium in Istanbul being the worst. I'm glad I didn't know that before hand. But, you have to give the Italian police credit. They kept us all safe. The only people that were damaged physically were the fans who fought among themselves and those who were battened by police because they were drunk and hurting others.
I hope to go to other games overseas in the future. But I don't want to go through this again. I did love the game and I would do it again tomorrow had I not done this today. But I would do this only once. It was an exceptional experience.
Ashore, these were the air temperatures in selected New England cities: In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 61°F with a low of 50°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 67°F (with a low of 40°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 60°F (with a low of 40°F).
On the fishing grounds, the wind light and variable in direction. They never had enough wind to register five knots. The ocean surface was calm all day. The air temperature was warm. The visibility ranged from ten to fifteen miles in haze. The tide (current) was strong. The surface water temperature reached a high of 47°F. For a high surface water temperature, 47°F is a few degrees low for this time of year.
The fishing was excellent. There were no dogfish today or porbeagle sharks to spoil the fishing. The current was strong but it didn't seem to bother the fishing very much. The catching was very good. Landings were good to very good. Most legal fish landed were haddock, by far. The haddock cull was eighteen percent sub-legal, most were haddock of good size. Legal landings also included eighteen redfish, twenty-eight cusk and a whiting. Released fish included the small haddock, a few small cod, a few small pollock and two wolffish. Drifting was the method. Bait and cod flies worked the best.
Jeff Fox (NY) was high hook with the most legal fish. He didn't catch any fish of note. He just caught a lot of fish. A.J. Lorndeau (NH) won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, a 5.25 pound haddock. There was a tie for the second largest fish at 5 pounds, both haddock. Steve Melendy (NH) caught one and Ryan McCarthy (NH) caught the other.
Other Angler Highlights: Cole Melendy (NH) caught a 4.5 pound haddock, his best fish. Liam Melendy (MA) also caught a 4.5 pound haddock. Peter Melendy (NH) landed the hard luck award for getting the most tangled lines.
I received two more donations while I was over seas sponsoring me in the Pan-Mass Challenge. One was from Steve Shugars (ME) on Wednesday, May 4th. His donation was a generous $100.00, a sum he has donated every year for sixteen years and which I truly appreciate. I am very lucky that Captain Ian introduced him to the Bunny Clark many years ago. As well as having a good heart, he is a phenomenal fisherman. The other donation was for $25.00 from Bob Mayer (ME). This is his second donation this season for the same amount. Bob, too, has been supporting my cause for many years now. Thank you both so very much. I very much appreciate your thoughtfulness and generosity.
While the above was taking place, I started my day in Italy at 6:30 AM Europe/Rome time, getting out of bed in a hotel in the outskirts of Rome. We left for the FCO Rome airport at a little before 8 AM and were in the air by 11:00 PM. We landed in Philadelphia, PA at about 2:45 EDT after 9 hours in the air and then waited until after 7:15 PM to hop on a shuttle to Portland, Maine. I ended up getting home around 10:00 PM. I slept for quite a while on the plane so I didn't feel that tired.
At 5:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 44°F, the sky was overcast closest to the ocean and over us but clear to the west, the wind was blowing out of the northeast at twenty to twenty-five knots and the visibility over the ocean was very good. The wind continued to blow out of the northeast at twenty to twenty-five knots with higher gusts all morning. By noon, the wind had started to back off somewhat. Wind speeds were about twenty knots for the early part of the afternoon. By the later part of the afternoon, the wind dropped to fifteen knots. The sky was overcast for a while but became mostly clear by the later part of the afternoon and hazy clear into the night. By sunset, there was no wind. The visibility was very good to excellent. The highest air temperature that I saw as 50°F. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 53°F with a low of 46°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 55°F (with a low of 39°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 51°F (with a low of 39°F).
Since I had been away from Tuesday to Saturday, I had much desk work to catch up on and much and a much managerial information to work on. I also had storm lines to put out to better secure the float at the end of the Barnacle Billy's dock. So that is what I did all morning. When the restaurants opened, I was back to working the floor and doing what I do. I went home for dinner but ended my day at the Cove at a little after 9:00 PM. It was nice to be back.
At 5:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 41°F, the sky was hazy clear, the wind was blowing out of the northeast at thirteen knots and the visibility over the ocean was very good, at least. The wind blew out of the northeast again today. But the wind remained about fifteen knots, more or less, all morning. During the afternoon, the wind was still out of the northeast at ten knots with higher gusts. By sunset, there was no wind, like yesterday's sunset. The visibility over the ocean remained very good or better than that. There were very few clouds in the sky except for the high thin ones that gave the day a softer feel than a more clear northwest wind day. The high air temperature never got more than 54°F, that I saw. It felt like 65°F on the corner of the deck at Barnacle Billy's that was out of the wind and in the sun. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 54°F with a low of 42°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 60°F (with a low of 36°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 53°F (with a low of 35°F).
My day was spent in the office (both home and at the restaurants) during the morning working at the restaurants after noon. It was a busy day with less staff than we would have liked. I worked the floor for most of my time there, talking to patrons and making sure everything was good. It was the best day of the week (weather wise) on the most important day of the week. We went through a lot of product but we never ran out of anything. And this is a very good thing.
We have a full marathon trip tomorrow. I was looking forward to it as it is comprised of a crew I have enjoyed for many years on the Bunny Clark. But Captain Ian Keniston has been denied the time on the boat that we both expect he should have. So I am thinking that he will take the boat instead. I'll come to that decision in the morning tomorrow.
At Barnacle Billy's, Etc., the Bruins game was playing for a few of our patrons. I kept walking by and taking glimpses at the game. I couldn't believe that the Bruins pulled it off, winning both playoff games in Boston after not winning a single game against Carolina all season. At least one of my teams seems to be winning occasionally!
At 5:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 37°F, the sky was hazy clear, the wind was blowing out of the northeast at fifteen knots and the visibility over the ocean was very good, at least. By 10:00 AM, the northeast wind was back with wind speeds of twenty to twenty-five knots and large seas crashing along the shore. We also had a surge in the Cove that was pushing the moored boats back and forth. I was glad I had storm lines tethered off the bow of the Bunny Clark. Otherwise, there would have been too much strain on the float attached to the dock at Barnacle Billy's. Right on cue, the wind dropped at around 4:00 PM, as it has been doing the last few days. We had ten knots of northeast wind at sunset. The wind picked up again later in the night. The highest air temperature that I saw was 56°F. The visibility was excellent by mid day. And the sky was crystal clear. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 56°F with a low of 41°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 69°F (with a low of 28°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 57°F (with a low of 31°F).
We could not open Barnacle Billy's, Etc. today because we had too many employees out with the flu. We did have one who tested positive for Covid. So we had all the employees tested, all with negative results. But enough had the flu to warrant a closure for today. We hope to open tomorrow at 5 PM, as normal.
The rest of the day was spent working at the restaurant. But, in the meantime, we had a charter driving up from New Jersey to go fishing on the Bunny Clark. After much debate, we finally canceled this fishing trip as there seemed no way, with the weather, we were going to be able to sail. So, at 6:00 PM, I finally called it. They were going to drive up and try it anyway which gave me more time to make a quality decision - a decision I should probably have made earlier before they left New Jersey. It's tough when I truly want to go fishing and the weather conditions are suspect.
At 5:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 42°F, the sky was clear, the wind was blowing out of the northeast at fifteen knots and the visibility over the ocean was excellent. The visibility was excellent all day. The sky was clear overhead and to the west all day as well, cloudless, in fact. There were clouds to the east closer to the offshore storm. Those clouds were there for most of the day. They were not close to us. And there was never a thought that we would ever seem them get close. Seas on the ocean were around eight feet all day, according to the closer weather buoys. The onshore wind, again, kept the air temperature down in Perkins Cove. However, again, the deck overlooking the Cove at Barnacle Billy's restaurant, on the western side of the building, was in the 60s out of the wind. The deck was full for most of the day. The wind was out of the northeast. But it wasn't as strong as yesterday with an average of fifteen knots for most of the daylight hours. By 4:30 PM, there was no wind at all. The wind backed out of the north at sunset. Wind speeds were light. The highest air temperature that I saw on the north side of Barnacle Billy's was 58°F. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 58°F with a low of 45°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 70°F (with a low of 30°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 61°F (with a low of 38°F).
My day, again, was spent at the restaurant. Our head chef tested positive for Covid. My son, Micah, sent him home yesterday with symptoms, telling him that he couldn't come back until he was tested. He tested positive. He doesn't feel bad; his symptoms are like a head cold. So, for the first time since we have hired him, Travis Cutter became the kitchen captain. It went very well. I was proud of him. He handled everything perfectly. And the rest of the kitchen crew was behind him.
I stayed all day, a day that where I am usually on the Bunny Clark. I was glad I stayed ashore today. There was much that I needed to address. Being there, I was able to accomplish all that was needed.
I received an email from Jack Judge (CT/ME) informing me that he didn't see his name on my PMC roster of donors. On May 2nd, he gave me a cash donation of $100.00 which I folded into quarters and stuck in the corner of my wallet. I had restaurant duties right afterward. So, without putting a note with the money, forgot completely about it. This morning I paid $100.00 in cash for some frozen hen clams. I hadn't looked in my wallet since the 2nd (I have a travel wallet I used overseas). I noticed the bill and couldn't imagine why it was in there the way it was or why it was there! I paid for the clams with the bill. But this stayed on my mind for most of the day. Thankfully, before twelve hours was done, I received the email from Jack telling me exactly where the money came from. It was a bit embarrassing. So, Jack did donate a generous $100.00, sponsoring me in this year's Pan-Mass Challenge. Not only that, Jack donates throughout the year and has helped me in this cancer project since I started in 2007. Thank you so much, Jack. Sorry about the mental lapse!
At 5:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 43°F, the sky was cloudless, the ocean was rough with large seas crashing on the shore, the closest weather buoy was still recording wave heights of 9.5 feet every eleven seconds, the wind was blowing out of the north at fifteen knots and the visibility over the ocean was excellent. We had very little wind today. There were large seas crashing on the rocks along the shore but no wind to write about, really. In the morning we had light northeast wind which was gone by noon and then replaced by light south wind in the afternoon. The sky was cloudless all day. Without the wind, the high air temperature of 60°F in Perkins Cove today seemed like 70°F! The visibility was excellent all day. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 60°F with a low of 46°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 78°F (with a low of 30°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 64°F (with a low of 37°F).
I started working down at the Cove at 5:30 AM, working on the Bunny Clark. I wanted to check the engine, look through all the compartments on the boat and charge up the batteries. The boat has been sitting for more days than it should. And with some electronic systems running in the background, the house batteries needed charging.
Within a couple hours, we had two employees call in sick. They were told to take a Covid test and report back. Regardless, flu or Covid, they were not going to be able to come back until they were asymptomatic and felt good. This on top of a few others that are out right now left us with not enough employees to run Barnacle Billy's, Etc tonight (we were supposed to open at 5 PM). Since I took the masking policy away this spring, we have had the flu go through the restaurants twice and had Covid cases popping up here and there. So today, the mask mandate went back into effect. I spent some time on the computer to make up an employee notice to post at the entrance to both buildings. I had already had an employee meeting on Friday telling them that this was a possibility. Patrons will not have to wear a mask but our employees will.
For two years we had no flu in the restaurants and Covid cases that were limited to contact and subsequent infection from individuals outside of work. I believe we had four cases in two years. In those two years, employees were masked up, gloved up and washing hands continuously. Knowing how important our employees are, I decided to go back to it. We still have a significant population of employees who refuse to get vaccinated. Those employees will have to stay masked up regardless of whether I stay with this new policy or relax it later.
Barnacle Billy's, Etc. will be open tomorrow at 5:00 PM. At least, that's the plan.
The rest of my day was spent working at the restaurant, talking to patrons and working on orders and order sheets. I went home at 8:30 PM so I could go to bed and greet Ian at 4:00 AM tomorrow.
Captain Ian Keniston and Jonathan Calivas ran the marathon trip today. I was supposed to run the trip today. And I truly wanted to be there. But Ian hasn't make a paycheck all week and I have a load of items I need to get check off the list today at the restaurant. So it seemed like the right thing to do.
At 5:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 53°F, the sky was overcast, it was misty outside, there was no wind to write about and the visibility over the ocean was poor in fog. The overcast skies, it turned out, was only a product of the fog overreaching inland with the lack of wind. At 8:00 AM, the fog had backed off enough to show that the sky was cloudless over the fog. The fog hung around until about noon and then backed off as a bank that could be seen from shore. Even near sunset, the fog bank was evident. The sky remained nearly cloudless all day. The wind was light all day. I guess you could say it was blowing out of the northwest in the morning but it was southerly during the later morning and afternoon. Wind speeds topped out at, maybe, eight knots?
The highest air temperature that I saw was 64°F. The visibility along the shore was suspect with the fog hanging around all day. The ocean along the shore was calm with an underlying swell that made bigger than normal waves crashing on the rocks. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 60°F with a low of 51°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 83°F (with a low of 39°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 71°F (with a low of 47°F).
On the fishing grounds, there was no wind. The ocean was calm all day. The visibility was poor in fog and ranged from thick to a quarter of a mile or so. The air temperature was warm. The tide (current) moderate. The sky was probably clear over the fog. The surface water temperature reached a high of 49°F.
The fishing was nearly excellent. Except for twenty dogfish and two porbeagle shark attacks, there was nothing to prevent a great fishing platform. The weather was perfect, the drift was nearly so and it was so easy to tend bottom. The catching was excellent, the landings nearly so. Most legal fish landed were haddock, by far, the bag limit easily attained. In fact, about forty percent of the haddock caught were released alive, most of these of legal size. Legal landings also included three pollock, four redfish and four cusk. Released fish included a few small pollock and cod, the haddock, three cod of 5 pounds or more, the dogfish and the porbeagles. Drifting was the method. Bait was best.
Ian couldn't tell me whom was high hook. It would have been impossible with the way they were catching fish today. Jeff Woodrum (ME) won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, a 27 pound halibut. This is our largest halibut of the season to date. It was also two inches under sized. So a quick picture was taken after the weighing and the fish was released alive. Ian took a picture of Jeff just before release. This digital image appears on the left showing the underside of the halibut. Jeff also caught a 5 pound haddock and a 5.5 pound haddock. David Struzick (VT) won the boat pool for the second largest fish with the second largest fish, a 13 pound sub-legal halibut. Ian also took a picture of David holding this fish, with his iPhone. This digital image appears on the right. This fish is our second largest halibut of the Bunny Clark fishing season so far. David's largest haddock weighed 4.75 pounds. The third largest fish of the trip was a 6.5 pound cod caught by Steve Clark (VT).
Other Angler Highlights: Ken Patryn (NH) caught a 5 pound haddock, his best fish. Kirby Williams (MA) landed two haddock of 5 pounds each. David Robitaille (NH) caught a 5.5 pound haddock. Bill Murphy (VT) landed the hard luck award for losing a jig. There really was no hard luck today.
Steve Clark did me a tremendous favor today by generously sponsoring my cancer project in the Pan-Mass Challenge with a $250.00 donation. Thank you so very much, Steve. Very thoughtful and very generous. I so appreciate your support!
At 5:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 50°F, the sky was overcast, there was no wind to write about and the visibility over the ocean seemed good but I couldn't see Boon Island Light. At sunrise, I realized that we had fog just off the beach. So even though it looked like there might be, there was no good visibility over the ocean. The fog stayed offshore in Ogunquit all day but was prevalent in Kennebunkport and York. We had light southerly wind in the morning and stronger southerly wind in the afternoon. The wind picked up in velocity during the later part of the morning. The strongest wind was during the mid afternoon with wind speeds in gusts to twenty knots. The sky was clear all day. The air temperature reached a high of 68°F. The visibility was good along the shore but fair over the ocean in a fog bank hanging outside the shore. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 79°F with a low of 51°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 89°F (with a low of 51°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 70°F (with a low of 49°F).
On the fishing grounds, the wind blew out of the south or south southwest at five to ten knots, with fifteen knots or so on the trip back to Perkins Cove. Seas were a foot or so on the grounds and two feet coming home. They also had an underlying two to three foot swell while fishing. The viability ranged to a quarter of a mile or less. The tide (current) was moderate. The air temperature was mild (55°F for a high). The sky seemed overcast with the fog. The surface water temperature reached a high of 47°F, the lowest surface water temperature for this time of year that we have seen in many years.
The fishing was good overall, mainly because of the dogfish that have just arrived. Ian told me that they had eighty dogfish today. This is really a guess. It really means that he saw a lot of dogfish. The catching was very good. Landings were good to very good, excellent near the end of the trip. Most legal fish landed were haddock, by far, the bag limit easily attained by the end of the fishing. They probably released a third of the haddock they caught. And that thirty percent were mostly all of legal size. Legal landings also included a pollock. They had a porbeagle shark right up next to the boat. Had it dinked right instead of left, Ian would have had a gaff into it. But it went forward and broke the line, denying Ian the opportunity. Released fish included the haddock, several porbeagle sharks, two cod of 5 pounds or better, a few small cod and a few small pollock. Drifting was the method. All terminal gear worked well on the haddock today.
With twenty anglers aboard and everyone doing well, Ian had no hope of knowing who had the most legal fish. I never did ask Jon who had the most bags of fillets. And to further confuse things, so many legal haddock were released alive, no one could have really known. Brian McCormick (VT) won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, a 6 pound cod. The second largest fish was a 5.5 pound haddock caught by Jamie Albright (VT). The third largest fish came in at 5 pounds. There were three, two haddock and one cod. Steve Selmer (NH) caught the cod. Jon Mandani (ME) caught one of the haddock. Tim Divoll (RI) caught the other. Tim also landed the hard luck award for losing two jigs. One of the jigs he lost was in the corner of the mouth of the porbeagle shark that Ian almost had a whack at gaffing.
At 5:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 66°F, the sky was clear, the wind was blowing out of the south southwest at fifteen knots and the visibility was good to very good over the ocean. There was no discernable fog or fog bank in sight. The wind blew out of the southwest at fifteen knots for a while in the morning, backed off and then blew lightly out of the south. The sky was hazy clear all day, cloudless early and a mix of sun and clouds during late morning and afternoon. The air temperature reached a high of 84°F, the highest air temperature we have seen since last summer. It was way too hot for me. The visibility was good over the ocean. I wouldn't give the visibility any higher marks as it looked like we had fog offshore later in the morning. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 86°F with a low of 65°F). The temperature value of 86°F in Boston, Massachusetts ties the previous record high of 86°F for this date set in 1879. Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 91°F (with a low of 59°F). The temperature value of 91°F in Concord, New Hampshire ties the previous record high of 91°F for this date set in 1961.The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 84°F (with a low of 58°F). The temperature value of 84°F in Portland, Maine breaks the record high of 81°F for this date set in 1961.
On the fishing grounds, the wind blew out of the southwest at ten knots, then increased to ten to fifteen knots and then blew up over fifteen knots for a short time before backing off to ten knots again. There was a one foot chop over a close sea swell of two to three feet, which made the seas seem rougher than they were. The air temperature was mild with the influence of the colder than normal surface water with the wind. The sky was both sunny and, at times, overcast, probably influenced by the fog. The visibility ranged from a quarter of a mile in fog to fifteen miles later in the trip. The tide (current) was moderate. The surface water temperature reached a high of 48°F.
The fishing was a bit tough today with the choppier seas and the most number of dogfish that we have seen this season to date. The catching was very good. Landings were good to very good (excellent for two anglers). Most legal fish landed were haddock. Twenty percent of the haddock caught were too small to keep. Legal landings also included two pollock and six mackerel. Released fish included the sub-legal haddock, over one hundred and fifty dogfish, three cod of 5 pounds or more and a few small cod and pollock. Drifting was the method. Everyone fished with bait.
Hal Flanagan (MA) was high hook with the most legal fish. He didn't have any particularly big fish but he certainly had a lot. Kaloyan Stoitsov (ME) won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, an 8 pound cod. Actually, this is our fourth or fifth largest cod this season so far. The second largest fish was a 7 pound cod caught by Seb Sarmanian (ME). Sirus Cleighton (NH) caught the third largest fish, a 6 pound haddock. This haddock ties with two others for the second largest haddock of the Bunny Clark fishing season to date.
Other Angler Highlights: Ira Spector (NY) landed the hat trick for the hard luck award t-shirt today. He hurled, he didn't catch a legal fish and he was the most tangled. Of course, the dogfish did not help his situation!
Dana & Laurie Decormier (NH) stopped by for lunch at Barnacle Billy's, Etc. today, taking the best table in the house. This is what I would have done for them had I known. In fact, our hostess did this on her own. I asked myself; "Is Dana that popular even when he isn't an angler on the Bunny Clark?" I never did ask. At any rate, Dana & Laurie donated $40.00 as a sponsorship to my cancer fund raising drive with the Pan-Mass Challenge. They have donated to my cause since I started, which even puts them up higher on the list. Thank you both very much. I appreciate the donation. And it's always good to see you both.
At 5:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 66°F, the sky was overcast, the wind was light out of the south and the visibility over the ocean was good in haze and, what looked like, a fog bank offshore. It was lightly raining by 6:00 AM, just enough to get the roads wet. By 7:00 AM, the roads were dry again. The fog moved in and out all day, finally settling back in to Perkins Cove at 3:00 PM and through the night. We had a light rain in the mid morning and then clearing and blue sky was noon. The sky stayed clear for three hours until the fog rolled back in. The highest air temperature that I saw in Perkins Cove was 70°F. But the air temperature dropped below 60°F when the fog rolled in during the later part of the afternoon. The visibility was not great all day. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 78°F with a low of 63°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 80°F (with a low of 64°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 69°F (with a low of 51°F).
On the fishing grounds, the wind blew out of the southeast at five to ten knots. There was a one foot chop over a two foot swell for most of the trip. The air temperature was mild, in the high 50s to low 60s. The tide (current) was moderate. The visibility ranged from a quarter of a mile or less in fog. The sky was overcast or seemed so in the fog. There was no rain. The surface water temperature reached a high of 51°F.
The fishing was good. It could have been better had there not been so many dogfish. The catching was very good. Landings were good to very good. Most legal fish landed were haddock, by far. They didn't reach the boats bag limit. But, then, there were quite a few anglers aboard. Individual anglers, quite a few, caught their own quota of haddock. Legal landings also included thirteen pollock, a whiting and five mackerel. Released fish included twenty percent of all the haddock caught, two porbeagle sharks, a wolffish, five cod of 5 pounds or better, quite a few sub-legal pollock and a handful of small cod. Drifting was the method. All terminal gear worked well today.
Ian couldn't tell me who was high hook. There were many anglers who did very well. And some were releasing legal haddock. Dave Symes (ME) won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, an 11 pound pollock. This is the Bunny Clark's largest pollock of the fishing season so far. Captain Ian took a picture of Dave's pollock. This digital image appears on the left. Dave caught a lot of haddock but none of the haddock were really big enough to write about. Mike Conklin (NY) caught the second largest fish, a 10 pound cod. This ties the Bunny Clark's second largest cod of the season to date. Earlier this season Marty Buskey (NY) also caught a 10 pound cod. Mike's largest haddock weighed 5 pounds. And he caught the third largest fish of the trip, a 6.5 pound pollock.
Other Angler Highlights: Chris Prague (PA) caught a 5 pound haddock, the second fish of the day that Ian weighed. Cynthia Griego (ME) landed the hard luck award for the most tangled lines.
Dave & Rebecca Symes (ME) came through again with a generous $100.00 donation sponsoring me in the my cancer cure fund raising drive with the Pan-Mass Challenge today. Dave & Rebecca have been very generous over the years in their support of this project, sponsoring me since the very beginning of my involvement. Thank you both so very much!
At 5:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 54°F, the sky was overcast, there was no wind in Perkins Cove but the closest weather buoy was showing eight knots of northerly wind and the visibility over the ocean was poor in fog. The fog hung around along the shore all day. Inland, it was overcast and dry all morning and into the afternoon. Along the shore, it was misty at times. Light rain fell after 3:30 PM and lasted until 6:00 PM. It rained again at 9:00 PM and lasted for at least an hour. By sunrise, the wind was blowing out of the east northeast. Wind speeds were light, no more than ten knots along the shore. The visibility remained poor over the ocean all day. But the fog settled into every nook and cranny of Perkins Cove by 7:00 PM. The highest air temperature that I saw was 63°F around 2:00 PM. The air temperature was only 59°F at noon. It was certainly warmer inland. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 79°F with a low of 58°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 79°F (with a low of 59°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 63°F (with a low of 51°F).
Business was slow at the restaurants today. And that was where I was today, all day. There was very little business at the end of the night.
Tomorrow's trip was canceled for lack of interest.
At 5:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 56°F, the sky was cloudless, the wind was blowing out of the southwest at ten knots and the visibility over the ocean was excellent. By mid morning, the wind was blowing out of the west at twenty knots. The wind continued to blow out of the west at twenty and twenty-five or more knots for the rest of the day. At 11:00 AM, there were gusts to almost thirty knots. The wind backed off a bit in the afternoon but it blew no less than twenty knots. The sky was cloudless to begin but became dotted with clouds by mid morning. By late in the afternoon, it was mostly cloudy with big banks, some of which carried rain. Rain sprinkles continued very occasionally until an hour before sunset. I don't think it rained at all after that. The visibility over the white caps was excellent. The highest air temperature that I saw was 71°F. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 74°F with a low of 58°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 71°F (with a low of 53°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 72°F (with a low of 54°F).
I spent the day, again, at the restaurants. We had as many as eleven employees out with Covid, four out with the flu. We are getting some of them back now. Last week, I had to close Barnacle Billy's, Etc. for three different days because there were so many employees sick. We just didn't have enough employees left to run that restaurant. It's funny because Etc. had all these employees with Covid and Barnacle Billy's, next door, had not a single one! Some of the employees who had Covid were not vaccinated so we are not allowed to have them back for ten days. The vaccinated employees are allowed back after five days as long as they are showing no symptoms.
I had to let one of my favorite employees go today. This was a devastating thing for me. I was very disappointed and sad. And it bothered me all day. It bothers me now. The employee gave me no choice. And now we are out one of our best. Life goes on.
At 5:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 51°F, the sky was cloudless, the wind was blowing out of the west at twenty-five knots and the visibility over the ocean was excellent. Remarkably, the sky stayed cloudless until 4:00 PM, when, it looked like, clouds showed up from the north and east. Mostly they were high cirrus clouds but there were also cloud formations with these thin clouds. The day went from being so brilliant that you had to wear sun glasses to a soft lighting day, perfect for taking pictures. The air temperature reached a high of 73°F in Perkins Cove. It was beautiful on the deck of Barnacle Billy's this afternoon. The wind blew out of the west northwest to northwest in the morning to thirty knots. By 2:00 PM, this wind started to die out. By 5:00 PM, the wind was blowing out of the north northwest at ten knots. The visibility was excellent. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 74°F with a low of 50°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 69°F (with a low of 48°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 68°F (with a low of 50°F).
I started at 6:00 AM by getting the Bunny Clark ready for tomorrow's fishing trip. I checked the engine all out, charged batteries, brought as much of my stuff aboard as I could and brought fishing equipment that Ian had asked for. I was about an hour on the boat.
The rest of the day I spent at the restaurants. Some of those things included getting some of the things done that I would do later if I wasn't fishing. Most of the day was spent doing what I normally do when I work there. I try to talk to every patron. And I make sure all the food is as expected. No complaints today. It was a great day.
I am soooo looking forward to tomorrow's fishing trip.
At 3:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 53°F, the sky mostly cloudy, there was no discernable wind in Perkins Cove and the visibility over the ocean was excellent.
As we left the gate to Perkins Cove in our wake, we were headed to a canopy of clouds. Half way to the fishing grounds, the sky became overcast. The air temperature was mild, the visibility was very good and the ocean was flat calm for most of the way there.
Upon arrival, we had ten knots of southeast wind in the form of wind ripples on the calm surface. This lasted about fifteen minutes before dying out. We never did get a chop from it. The wind was light or non-existent for the rest of the fishing. When we left the grounds, the wind was blowing out of the south southeast at five knots. Before we were half way home, this wind had picked up to ten knots. The sky was overcast all day. We had a few short periods of light rain in the afternoon. The visibility ranged to twenty miles. The air temperature remained mild. The tide (current) was moderate. The surface water temperature averaged 50°F.
Ashore, these were the air temperatures in selected New England cities: In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 64°F with a low of 53°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 56°F (with a low of 45°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 56°F (with a low of 44°F).
The fishing was nearly excellent. It could have been better with less dogfish, although the dogfish weren't bad. Let me qualify that; the dogfish are always bad, there just weren't a pile of them. The catching was excellent. Landings were very good. Most legal fish landed were haddock, by far. Had we kept every legal haddock that first came aboard we would have caught the bag limit well before noon. We started by only keeping haddock with an eighteen inch fork length. Then we went to nineteen inches and twenty inches. We still ended up catching the boat's bag limit. Sixty percent of all the haddock we caught were released alive. Legal landings also included three pollock, three cusk and two whiting. Released fish included two sub-legal pollock, about twenty-five small cod, two cod over 5 pounds, four halibut, three or four porbeagle sharks, forty-five dogfish and the haddock. We did some drifting but we mostly anchored. Bait worked best.
It was impossible to tell you who was high hook. Too many legal haddock were released and we don't count fillets.
Karl Day (ME) should have won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, a 50 plus pound halibut. On the fish's third run to bottom, Karl's line got tangled with Caleb Leavitt's line. Caleb was fishing on the stern. Karl was fishing on the port side. When the halibut made another run to bottom, I told Caleb to let some line out so that it wouldn't interfere with Karl fighting his big fish. Caleb had a small haddock on his line. We would see the haddock when Karl gained line to get to that point. And we would see Caleb's haddock disappear when the halibut stripped line out of Karl's reel headed to bottom. What I didn't realize was that Caleb's haddock and line were tangled with the knot between Karl's braid and his leader material (monofilament). So when I was finally able to grab the tangle, I thought I was doing Karl a favor when I cut all the monofilament. In so doing, I cut Karl's leader off just when we were about to see how big the halibut was! Karl wasn't too upset; he has caught over forty Atlantic halibut on rod and reel. But I was heart broken. It could easily have been Karl's largest halibut ever had it been over 60 pounds. When it came time to give out the hard luck award t-shirt, I gave it to Karl. His largest haddock was probably 4.5 pounds.
Earl MacDuff (NY) also hooked a halibut. He too lost it without even realizing he had it on the line. He too was tangled with another line, so much so that he didn't even get the benefit of feeling the fight. It got off the hook about five feet down, more or less. It looked to be about twenty pounds (more or less), definitely sub-legal. I never did weigh a fish of Earl's. Cody Nixon (NH) also had a halibut on but he had it hooked with a monofilament snelled bait hook. It looked to me like the halibut swallowed the hook and that the leader was chaffed off by the halibut's teeth. Cody's largest landed fish was a 5 pound haddock. Todd Mallory (NY) also hooked what I thought was a halibut, right on bottom. The fight didn't last long enough to truly confirm what kind of fish he had on his line. Todd didn't have it on long enough to see it on the sounding machine. His largest fish was a 5.5 pound cod.
Matty Clark (MA) won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest boated fish, a 7 pound pollock. He had a couple porbeagle sharks on his line but couldn't get them hooked. Brian Leavitt (NH) won the boat pool for the second largest fish with the second largest boated fish, a 6.75 pound pollock. He also tied with his son, Scott Leavitt (NH), for the third largest boated fish at 6.5 pounds each. Brian's fish was a cusk while Scott's fish was a haddock. Scott's biggest haddock weighed 5 pounds.
Other Angler Highlights: Dan Bailey (NY) caught a 5.5 pound cod and a 5 pound haddock, his two biggest fish. Josh Nixon (NH) landed a 4.5 pound haddock. This was his biggest fish of the day and the last fish in the boat!
I received a generous $50.00 donation from Todd Mallory sponsoring me in the Pan-Mass Challenge today. Todd has donated in the past. I very much appreciate your help, Todd. Thank you so much!
At 5:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 50°F, the sky was overcast, the air was misty, the roads were wet, there wasn't enough wind to write about, the ocean along the shore was calm and the visibility over it seemed good to very good with no fog, as I would have expected. More later.
I have decided to keep the fuel surcharge at $15.00 until I get a feeling as to where fuel prices are going to settle in at. I've always put in the literature and online that we would have to ask for a fuel surcharge if the prices went too high. But we have never had to ask for one until this season. I'm hoping it goes away but I'm very ambivalent about the direction all this is going.
Also, as most of you know, the 2022 season officially started on May 1. The regional office of the National Marine Fisheries Service has not made a ruling as to when the new recreational fishery regulations will go into effect. And after talking on the phone with them yesterday, they have not decided on what the new ruling should encompass. They will have to decide on the regulations going forward (i.e.: adopt the New England Fishery Management Council's suggestion or come up with a plan of their own that will, no doubt, mirror most of what the Council's suggests.) Next, the ruling goes out to public comment, the comment period being as short as fifteen days or as long as a month. And then the decision will go from there. I suspect that we will not see the new regulations come out until at least July 1. By that time, the best haddock fishing will be over and the dogfish will be here. The Council's proposal differs in the regulations today by the bag limit of haddock (five more per person under the Council's proposed rule) and for the cod season in the fall (one more week added to the cod season - September 1 thru October 7.). I, of course, would like to see a slot limit on cod so that we don't take too many of the more fecund larger breeding individuals. But no one likes my ideas. And some based their thoughts on the slot as it played out with the striped bass, not a very good comparison - my opinion. So it will be a wait and see. Until the new regulations go into effect, the old regulations will remain in place, including the 15 fish haddock bag limit and four week cod season.
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