Bunny Clark Fishing Update
Written & Edited by Tim Tower
Monday, October 7, 2024, 7:00 AM EDT
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Gulf of Maine haddock
These regulations for groundfish apply equally to anglers on privately owned recreational boats and party/charter boats as well.
At 3:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 56°F, the sky was clear with a full moon headed to the west, the wind was very light out of the southwest and the visibility over the ocean was excellent.
The tide was very low at the time of departure, so low with the moon tide that we dragged the keel through the mud all the way out the channel. It wasn't so low that I had to power in order to "push" our way out. But I did wonder if we would have to. The air temperature was 59°F as we went through the gate headed to the fishing grounds. The visibility was excellent the whole way. We had a light chop with eight knots of southwest wind. Half way to the grounds, the air temperature increased to 63°F. The sky was clear with a setting full moon.
On the fishing grounds, The wind blew out of the west southwest all day. At first, it was very light. The ocean wasn't flat calm as we did have a light chop over a two foot swell. But it was calm enough. The west southwest wind blew up to eight knots or, maybe, just under. We barely had a white cap at the windiest of times. The highest air temperature that I saw was 68°F. The visibility ranged from fifteen to twenty miles in haze. The tide was probably moderate but it was against the wind making it seem light. The sky was clear all day with only some high wispy clouds. The surface water temperature reached a high of 63°F.
Ashore, these were the air temperatures in selected New England cities: In Perkins Cove, Ogunquit, Maine the high air temperature was 85°F. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high air temperature was 77°F (with a low of 57°F). The Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 85°F (with a low of 48°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 83°F (with a low of 51°F).
The fishing was excellent. There were less than ten dogfish and we only lost one piece of terminal gear to a single blue shark. The sea state, the drift was perfect and the weather, overall, was like mild summer day. The catching went from fair to excellent. Landings were very good overall. Most legal fish landed were pollock, by far. I had to pull the anglers off them as they were starting to release them. Legal landings also included seven cod, thirty-one haddock, fifty-six cusk, twenty white hake and five whiting. Released fish included nine dogfish, one blue shark, thirteen sub-legal cod, twelve sub-legal haddock, twenty-eight sub-legal pollock and ten cusk (maybe more cusk than that). Drift fishing was the method. Cod flies caught the most fish.
Fred Kunz (NH) was high hook with the most legal fish. He won the boat pool for the largest fish with the second largest fish, a 30.25 pound Maine state trophy white hake. This is the largest hake that Fred has caught in three years. Some of Fred's other good fish included a 14.5 pound white hake, two pollock of 10 pounds each, a 19.5 pound white hake, an 11 pound pollock and a 10.5 pound cod.
Liam Jenks (NY) caught the largest fish of the trip, a 32.5 pound Maine state trophy white hake. Liam did not get in any of the fish pools. I took a picture of Liam with his big hake. This digital image appears on the left. Neil Hickey (VT) won the boat pool for the second largest fish with the third largest fish, a 27 pound Maine state trophy white hake. Some of Neil's other good fish included a 12 pound pollock, a 16 pound white hake, a 10.5 pound pollock, a 7.5 pound cod and an 8.5 pound cod which he released. Bill Harding (ME) won the boat pool for third largest fish with the fourth largest fish, a 20.5 pound white hake. Some of Bill's other good fish included the largest pollock at 16 pounds, a 16 pound white hake, a 9 pound cod and an 11 pound cod. I took a picture of Bill holding his fish while also having another pollock on the line. This digital image appears on the right.
Other Angler Highlights: Joe Jenks (MA) had the best double of the day. His catch included an 8.5 pound pollock and a 12.5 pound pollock, both fish on the same line at the same time. Some of his other good fish included a 14.5 pound pollock, a 16.25 pound white hake, the largest haddock of the day at 5 pounds, an 18.5 pound white hake, an 11.5 pound pollock and an 11 pound white hake. John Tanguay (ME) caught a 12.25 pound white hake. His biggest pollock weighed 10 pounds. Chris Franklin (ME) landed a 10.5 pound pollock, an 18.5 pound white hake, an 11 pound pollock, a 20 pound white hake and an 8 pound cod. Marty Nephew (NY) boated a 12 pound pollock, his biggest fish. Marie Harding (ME) caught an 8 pound pollock, her biggest. She also caught the most dogfish, a count of three. Jim Feeney (MA) caught a lot of fish once he got going but he didn't shine like he usually does. His largest fish was an 11 pound pollock. But he lost two jigs on the bottom and most of the line on his reel, which he borrowed from Fred. He never did catch a hake, which was the reason he came today. And he ended up fighting Neil's 12 pound pollock because I thought the Neil had a blue shark. Instead, the pollock was hooked in the side so Jim was pulling this fish against the current! For all this I awarded Jim the hard luck t-shirt!
When I got near shore coming home, I realized the lazarette pump wasn't working. After the anglers had departed. I looked over everything and found my son, Micah, who was managing Barnacle Billy's (Original). He agreed to look at it. We worked on this until around 8:00 PM, when he had to leave to close the restaurant. He did all the electrical stuff while I helped where I could. Eventually, I had to sleep while Micah continued on until after 10:30 PM.
I received two donations today sponsoring me in my cancer fundraising drive with the Pan-Mass Challenge. Fred Kunz donated $40.00 while Bill & Marie Harding donated $60.00. Thank you all for thinking of me and this cancer project that I am involved in. I so appreciate your help!
At 4:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 55°F, the sky was hazy clear with a fullish moon high in the western sky, there wasn't enough wind to write about and the visibility over the ocean was excellent.
Ashore, the wind blew out of the south at ten knots by 7:00 PM. The first part of the daylight hours were calm with very light winds from the west or no wind. The ocean along the shore was calm. A southerly wind was established after noon. By mid afternoon, the southerly wind was blowing almost eight knots. But it was strange; the wind would come and go in the afternoon, pumping. We would have limp flags for an hour and then it was breeze up to die out again. It only started blowing steady after 6:00 PM. The visibility was very good to good in haze. The sky was hazy clear to almost overcast in the afternoon. The highest air temperature that I saw was 80°F. That was after noon. It didn't stay that high for long. There was no humidity today. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high air temperature was 72°F (with a low of 60°F). The Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 83°F (with a low of 50°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 81°F (with a low of 55°F).
On the fishing grounds, the wind blew out of the southwest to south at five knots or so. The ocean was calm with a bit of a light chop in the afternoon. They noticed a two foot sea swell all day. The air temperature reached a high of 67°F. The visibility ranged from an eighth of a mile to a quarter mile in fog. The tide (current) was moderate. The sky was overcast all day. The surface water temperature reached a high of 65°F.
The fishing was good. There were too many blue sharks in the places where there were lots of fish. When they weren't in the fish, the dogfish were too many. The catching was good. Landings were fair to good. Oddly, most of the fish landed were of better size than normal. Most legal fish landed were pollock. Legal landings also included eight cod, eleven haddock, one redfish, one cusk and seven mackerel. Released fish included over one hundred and fifty dogfish, nine blue sharks (nine pieces of jewelry), six sub-legal cod, fifteen sub-legal haddock, forty sub-legal pollock, twelve sub-legal redfish and a mackerel and sculpin. Drifting was the method. No bait was used today, just jigs and flies.
It was one of those days where everyone did equally well. No high hook could be discerned. The crew did not run a boat pool today either. The largest fish was a 17 pound cod caught by Peter Hershberger (OH). As of this writing, this cod is the Bunny Clark's fifth largest cod of the fishing season. The second largest fish was a 15 pound pollock caught by Paul Garber (OH). There was a tie for the third largest fish. There were three, every one weighing 12.5 pounds. Mose Keim (OH) caught a 12.5 pound cod, Abraham Keim (NY) caught a 12.5 pound pollock and Noah Hershberger (OH) caught his 12.5 pound pollock as part of a double that also included a pollock of 8 pounds, both fish caught on the same line at the same time.
Other Angler Highlights: Henry Yoder (OH) caught an 11 pound cod. Shorty Yoder landed a 10 pound pollock, his best fish. Jacob Shetler (NY) landed the hard luck award for being the first one to hurl.
At 2:30 AM EDT the air temperature was 62°F, the sky was overcast (or so it seemed), there wasn't enough wind to blow a candle out and the visibility over the ocean was poor in a dungeon of fog.
It was foggy when we left the dock to head to the fishing grounds as well. Once we went under the bridge, I could only navigate by the electronics to find my way out. As it was, I didn't see the green can buoy until I was right on it. We carried the fog almost all the way to the fishing grounds. About ten miles from the grounds the fog was patchy. Then it became clear. The air temperature was in the 60s the whole way. The sky was overcast. The wind was very light from the east, giving us a perfect ride out.
On the fishing grounds, the wind backed out of the northeast. But it never got very windy. Ten knots tops. Seas, at most, were chops of a foot or two. For most of the day we a very light chop of less than a foot over a sea swell of about three feet, sometimes just a bit bigger. The highest air temperature that I saw was 67°F in the early part of the morning on the grounds. The visibility ranged to twenty miles at the most. We did have some rain in the morning that limited the visibility. That lasted an hour or two. We had no rain for the rest of the day. The rain we did have was so light that you didn't need full oil gear. The tide was moderate, strong in spots. The highest surface water temperature was 64°F.
Ashore, these were the air temperatures in selected New England cities: In Perkins Cove, Ogunquit, Maine the high air temperature was 77°F. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high air temperature was 75°F (with a low of 62°F). The Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 84°F (with a low of 55°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 77°F (with a low of 59°F).
The fishing was excellent for the first drift. I found a big school of pollock right off the bat and they bit like crazy with the top three fish at 15.5, 15 and 14.5 pounds. When I went back to try it again, we got blue sharks! In fact, you could not bring a fish up from the bottom without getting a blue shark. I tried drifting over other edges but you still couldn't get a fish to the surface without a shark attacking it. I tried anchoring on spots with less pollock. We had less sharks anchoring but we had far less fish as well. So I anchored on the pollock but got the blue sharks full force again. We got away from the sharks in the deeper water but not entirely. The deeper water provided porbeagle sharks which did the same thing. Finally, at the end of the day, we had a drift unfettered by blue sharks. We had very few dogfish today. But we lost thirty-seven jigs to sharks, thirty-five to blue sharks and two to porbeagles.
So the fishing was tough. The catching was good as were the landings. Most legal fish landed were pollock, by far, thanks to that very first drift where we filled three totes with them. Of course, we caught pollock throughout the day as well. But I'm sorry we couldn't take advantage of the pollock spot. Legal landings also included four cod, eight haddock, three redfish, ten cusk and ten white hake. Released fish included thirteen dogfish, probably fifty blue sharks, six porbeagle sharks, seven small cod, seven sub-legal haddock and eight sub-legal pollock. We did our best while drifting. Only jigs and cod flies were used.
Dave Burton (MA) was the fisherman of the day. He was, far and away, high hook with the most legal fish. He caught the two biggest pollock of the day at 15.5 pounds and 15 pounds. He caught the largest haddock at 3.5 pounds and the largest redfish at 1.75 pounds. He won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish a 35 pound Maine state trophy white hake. This is the largest hake that he has ever caught. It's also a tie for the third largest hake caught on the Bunny Clark this season so far. It's also the longest hake of the season to date with a caliper fork length of 48.5 inches! I took a picture of Dave with his big hake. This digital image appears on the left. Dave also won the boat pool for the second largest fish with the second largest fish, a 31 pound Maine state trophy white hake. This ties his previous largest life hake. It was a great day to be Dave Burton! However, in the process of today's fishing, Dave did lose four jigs.
Steve Bemis (NY) won the boat pool for the third largest fish with the third largest fish, a 28.5 pound Maine state trophy white hake.
Other Angler Highlights: Brian Giblin (CT) might have won the boat pool for the third largest fish as his largest fish was the third largest fish until it was mauled by a porbeagle shark. Of course, if it had been 30 pounds or more he would not have won the boat pool as he didn't enter the boat pool. Just the same, after being attacked with the tail bitten off, this was still a Maine state trophy white hake of 28 pounds. I took a picture of Brian holding his maimed fish. This digital image appears on the right.
Charlie Kenney (ME) caught the largest cod at 10 pounds. He also caught the third largest pollock on that first drift, the 14.5 pounder. He also caught a 12 pound pollock. Richard Stowe (NY) caught an 11 pound pollock. His largest fish was a 16.5 pound white hake. Brandy Abbott (ME), who celebrated her birthday today during this shark fest, caught a 10 pound pollock, her biggest fish. Dave Symes (ME) landed the Bunny Clark's largest double of the year, so far, today. His catch included a 26 pound Maine state trophy white hake and a 15.25 pound white hake, both fish caught on the same line at the same time! Dave had asked early in the trip if we would get any hake today as, being a true Mainiac, he wanted one. But we never get many, if any, hake in a northeast wind. But, apparently, the wind wasn't strong enough to matter today as we did get some. Dave got twenty good sized pollock as well. But these hake were his two biggest fish of the trip. Ian Wood (PA) boated a 21.5 pound white hake, his biggest fish. Phil Ashe (NY) lost the most jigs to blue sharks with a count of seven! Actually, one might have been lost to a porbeagle shark. His largest fish was a 16 pound white hake. Ridge Wells (CT) landed the hard luck award for being the only person to get sea sick and for a having problems with his fishing equipment. It happens!
I received several donations sponsoring me in this season's Pan-Mass Challenge. Although the event is over, the need for cancer research persists and cancer does not sleep. I will be trying to secure donations until the end of December. January 1, I will start the New Year by securing donations again. Today's donors and donations included Dave & Rebecca Symes for $100.00, Dave Burton for yet another generous donation of $115.00 (He has donated too many time to count!), Ian Wood for $20.00 and Steve Bemis for $50.00. Thank you all so very much for your contributions to my cancer project and for your thoughtfulness. This is very very much appreciated!
At 4:30 AM EDT the air temperature was 61°F, the sky was overcast, the wind was blowing out of the northeast at twenty plus knots and the visibility over the ocean was very good in some misty haze.
On Friday's, it's my day to open the restaurant. I was down at the Cove at that time. The wind was blowing with gusts to thirty knots at the time. It seemed like it was going to howl. But, by 7:00 AM, the wind had backed off. Wind speeds for the rest of the day were twenty knots or less. Still not good enough to have a great trip but not bad enough to worry about waves carrying rocks pelting the cars in the parking lot with the astronomical high tide we were going to have after noon. Just before midnight, the wind picked up again. Northeast wind speeds were gusting to twenty-five knots at that time. The visibility over the ocean in the morning dropped to good in mist. It was very good again during most of the afternoon. It was damp all morning with some very light rain. The afternoon was dry with the exception of some very light rain around 5:00 PM. It started to rain again after 8:00 PM. It rained all night. The air temperature never did get very high today. I saw 65°F, the highest value that I could see. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high air temperature was 65°F (with a low of 59°F). The Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 68°F (with a low of 59°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 67°F (with a low of 58°F).
It was another day working at Barnacle Billy's. I got home around 9:15 AM, after working at the restaurants for the morning. I spent the rest of the day at the restaurant after a short time at home.
We did have some splash-over at the parking lot across from Barnacle Billy's (Original). This was around 1:00 PM. A couple got knocked over by a wave and got soaked. They didn't get hurt but getting totally wet did not make them feel great.
I ended up tying a storm line off the Bunny Clark to the middle town floats. I didn't think it was totally necessary but it's better to be safe than sorry.
At 5:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 58°F, the sky was overcast, the wind was blowing out of the north northeast at twenty plus knots and the visibility over the ocean was very good at least.
Ashore, today was the windiest day with the highest of tides of the last three days. The wind blew out of the north northeast most of the day at twenty knots sustained with higher gusts. Unlike yesterday, today's wind didn't back off until close to sunset. Seas, however, were a little less in height, more in the eight foot category rather than ten feet as it was yesterday. This was probably due to the northerly component in the wind. The sky was overcast all day. It was misty all morning with the occasional light rain. We had no rain after noon. But it did become a little misty between 6:00 PM and 7:00 PM. The visibility was very good to excellent over the ocean with less visibility in the morning. The high air temperature that I saw in Perkins Cove was 62°F. If the air temperature had a higher value, I didn't see or feel it. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high air temperature was 60°F (with a low of 57°F). The Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 64°F (with a low of 57°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 64°F (with a low of 53°F).
Today's tides were the highest. Pushed by the wind, the water in the Cove went over the dock leading to the float at high tide around 2:00 PM. It never got high enough to enter the dining room at Barnacle Billy's (Original). Since the sea height was down, we didn't have as much surge in the Cove either. We also had a better business day than I was expecting today. It rained in Boston all day so I figured that we would see less people here. But there were a fair number of Canadians and people from the Boston area in the restaurant today, many of whom I have seen many times before. This always makes it more fun for me.
So my whole day was spent in the restaurants. I ended up coming home by 8:30 PM.
At 5:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 55°F, the sky had a high thin overcast with a waning moon sailing through the clouds directly overhead, the roads were dry for the first time in three days, the wind was blowing out of the north at ten to thirteen knots and the visibility over the ocean was excellent.
It turned out that canceling was the best move for today. It was windier ashore than was during the last three day. Sustained winds were twenty knots with flags right straight out. This wind didn't come up until after noon. Before noon, the wind started out from the north, stayed at twelve to fifteen knots. The wind hauled out of the northeast during the mid morning and increased. By 2:00 PM, the northeast wind had increased to twenty knots with gusts to twenty-five knots. Seas increased again to eight feet every eleven seconds at the closest offshore buoy, about nine miles out. The sky was mostly cloudy in the morning with some sun. After noon, the sky was clear. By 4:00 PM, the sky was overcast followed by clear sky again after 5:00 PM. The visibility was excellent all day. The highest air temperature that I saw was 65°F. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high air temperature was 66°F (with a low of 57°F). The Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 68°F (with a low of 47°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 67°F (with a low of 52°F).
Again, I spent the day at the restaurants. The tide didn't come up as high as it did yesterday. The Cove's water level never did go over the dock as it did the last couple of days. The water level was a couple inches shy.
I spent the day at the two Barnacle Billy's restaurants.
I received a $40.00 donation from Tom "Ollie" & Debbie Bruyere (NY) sponsoring me in this year's Pan-Mass Challenge today. Tom & Debbie donate early in the winter every year. So this is something extra and much appreciated! Thank you very much for your thoughtfulness and generosity!
At 5:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 54°F, the sky was mostly clear with a half moon directly overhead, the wind was blowing out of the northeast at ten knots and the visibility over the ocean was excellent.
Ashore, the wind blew out of the northeast at light speeds in the morning, ten knots or more. The wind picked up a bit after noon, blowing an easy fifteen, maybe a little more. Seas were still large but they were more short rollers than chops, not quite a swell but not a chop. The sky most mostly cloudy with sunny spells and a mix of sun and clouds. The visibility was excellent. The highest air temperature that I witnessed was 65°F. The highest air temperature that I saw was 65°F. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high air temperature was 65°F (with a low of 55°F). The Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 65°F (with a low of 44°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 64°F (with a low of 47°F).
On the fishing grounds, the wind blew out of the east northeast at ten to fifteen knots. Seas were chops of a foot or two over a six to eight foot swell. The air temperature reached a high of 60°F. The visibility ranged from ten to fifteen miles in haze/mist. The tide (current) was moderate. The sky was overcast for the whole time fishing. The surface water temperature reached a high of 60°F.
The fishing was poor, the swells made ninety percent of the anglers sea sick. In fact, by the end of the trip, only two anglers were still fishing. And they came in over an hour early because of the conditions and the desires of most anglers. There were also a few dogfish and a couple blue sharks. The catching and landings were very good. I would venture to guess that if everyone were fishing, the catching and landings would have been excellent. Landings were excellent for two anglers. Most legal fish landed were pollock, by far, a slam. Legal landings also included a cod, a haddock, six cusk and quite a few mackerel. The pollock would not let another fish get to the hook first. Released fish included fifty or more dogfish, six sub-legal cod, twelve sub-legal haddock, two blue sharks, a few mackerel and twenty sub-legal pollock. They drift fished for every spot. Jigs and flies caught the most fish by far.
Chris Cote and Phil Milligan shared high hook status for the most legal fish. They were the last two anglers left standing. Some of Chris' fish included an 11 pound pollock, a 13 pound pollock and a 10 pound pollock. Some of Phil's fish included a 12 pound pollock, an 11 pound pollock, a 13 pound pollock and a 12.5 pound pollock. Jack Bryant won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, a 15 pound pollock. The second largest fish was a 14 pound pollock caught by Tyler Meisner. He also landed a double that included a 13 pound pollock and a 10 pound pollock, both fish caught on the same line at the same time. To date, this is the fourth largest double of the Bunny Clark fishing season so far. Four anglers shared in the third largest fish at 13 pounds. All were pollock. As you now know, Chris, Tyler and Phil all landed 13 pound pollock. Jeff Irish also landed a 13 pound pollock. Jeff also boated a 12 pound pollock and a 12.5 pound pollock.
Other Angler Highlights: Brandon Coates caught a 10 pound pollock. Danny Brown was the highest of hurlers and landed the hard luck award Bunny Clark t-shirt for proving his malidacious mettle. He actually called it before they went under the bridge this morning!
At 2:45 AM EDT the air temperature was 54°F, the sky was crystal clear with a half moon making it's way to a position overhead, the wind was blowing out of the northeast at ten knots and the visibility over the ocean was excellent.
We had a big swell coming in the outer Cove. There was sea foam everywhere on the surface of the water there, being heaved up and down by the large swells and waves crashing on the rocky shore. Leaving the Cove looked like we were going to have a rough ride out. But it really wasn't bad once we got away from the land. Still it wasn't the kind of morning that you would go charging out to the fishing grounds at full cruise in the dark. So, I took it easy and kept speed at eleven knots. The sky was clear for the whole ride, the air temperature hung around 59°F, the visibility was excellent and the wind was out of the northeast at about ten knots. Seas were chops of two feet over swells that ranged from six to eight feet.
On the fishing grounds, the wind blew out of the northeast at ten knots at first, then hauled out of the east northeast and blew between ten and fifteen knots but backed off to about eight knots by the time we were ready to go home. Seas were chops of two feet to start but dropped to a foot sometime before noon. The chops stood over big sea swells that measured eight to ten feet with the occasional twelve footer. These swells had dropped to six and eight feet by the end of the fishing. The air temperature reached a high of 63°F. The visibility ranged to over twenty miles. The tide (current) went from moderate in the morning to strong in the afternoon. The sky was clear with a very bright sun. The surface water temperature reached a high of 58°F
Ashore, these were the air temperatures in selected New England cities: In Perkins Cove, Ogunquit, Maine the high air temperature was 65°F. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high air temperature was 66°F (with a low of 53°F). The Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 68°F (with a low of 41°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 64°F (with a low of 46°F).
The fishing was good to very good. Dogfish, blue sharks and the sea state kept the fishing out of the excellent category. The catching was very good if you included all species. Landings were good to very good, excellent for size. Most legal fish landed were pollock, by far. We didn't have the slaughter that Captain Ian had yesterday but the average size was bigger. Legal landings also included seven cod, eight haddock, five redfish, six cusk, two whiting, a jonah crab and four mackerel. Released fish included seventeen dogfish, nine blue sharks (which we lost gear to), seven sub-legal cod, twenty-one sub-legal haddock, nine sub-legal pollock, a barndoor skate and a couple of red hake. We alternated between drifting and anchoring. Jigs and cod flies caught the most fish.
Ron Neil (MA) was high hook with the most legal fish. His two largest fish were the second and third largest fish of the trip. Those two fish were a 20 pound pollock and a 19 pound pollock. These pollock are the second and third largest pollock of the Bunny Clark fishing season so far. He did not get into any of the boat pools today. I took a picture of Ron holding his 20 pound pollock. This digital image appears on the left. He also caught the Bunny Clark's third largest double of the season today, to date. His double included a 14 pound pollock and a 14.5 pound, both fish caught on the same line at the same time! Some of his other good fish included a 14 pound pollock, a double that included a 13 pound pollock and a 10.5 pound pollock, a 13.5 pound pollock, a 12.5 pound pollock and a good sized jonah crab!
Erik Grove (ME) won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, a 22.5 pound barndoor skate. This was the last fish to be hooked today. Erik also won the boat pool for the third largest fish with the fifth largest fish, a 17.25 pound cod. He caught this as part of a double that also included a 7 pound cod. I took a picture of Erik holding his cod double. This digital image appears on the right. Some of Erik's other good fish included an 11.5 pound pollock, a double that included a 10.5 pound pollock and an 11 pound pollock, Another double that included two pollock of 13 pounds each, a 15 pound pollock and another double that included a 12 pound pollock and a 9 pound pollock. Erik's biggest double is, currently, the fourth largest double of the Bunny Clark fishing season. If Erik wasn't second hook he was damn close!
Phil Wilson (TX) won the boat pool for the second largest fish with the fourth largest fish, a 17.5 pound pollock. Some of the larger fish of Phil's that I weighed included a 12.5 pound pollock, a 14.75 pound pollock, a 15.25 pound pollock, a 10 pound pollock, a 17 pound pollock and a 13.5 pound pollock. Phil also lost seven rigs, mostly to blue sharks! Ouch! 'Tis the season.
Other Angler Highlights: Mark Hesselink (NJ) fought a few blue sharks himself. Some of his bigger fish that I weighed included a 13.5 pound pollock, a 16.5 pound pollock, an 11.5 pound pollock and a 9 pound cod. He also caught a 7 pound cod. Dave Burton (MA) caught the largest redfish of the day and the largest redfish we have seen in some time. The fish weighed 2.25 pounds, a Maine state trophy by a quarter of a pound. He also caught an 8 pound cod. Captain Matt Clark (MA) landed an 11.5 pound pollock, his largest fish of the trip. Bob Meskell (MA) landed an 8 pound pollock after spending almost the whole day in the Hotel Bunny Clark. Yes, he was a bit under the weather today and landed the hard luck award t-shirt for his condition.
I received four donations sponsoring in the Pan-Mass Challenge today. I received a very generous $1,000.00 from Andy Barowsky (FL) - Andy has been very generous since I got invovled in 2007 - $50.00 from Dave Burton, yet again, $40.00 from Phil Wilson and $40.00 from Erik Grove! Thank you all so much for your generosity and for your thoughtfulness. I do really appreciate your support. But so many others appreciate it more than I, those who may never know the names of those who helped!
At 5:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 54°F, the sky was overcast, the wind was blowing out of the northeast at ten knots and the visibility over the ocean was excellent.
Ashore, the wind blew out of the northeast all morning. Wind speeds were about ten knots until noon. After noon, the wind hauled east with the same wind velocity. By 8:00 PM, the wind was out of the southeast at ten knots or more. The sky was overcast all day, threatening rain. But it never did rain. The visibility was excellent. The air temperature reached a high, that I saw, of 63°F. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high air temperature was 64°F (with a low of 60°F). The Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 61°F (with a low of 49°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 61°F (with a low of 48°F).
On the fishing grounds, the wind blew out of the east at five to ten knots. Seas were chops of about a foot over deep sea swells of four to six feet. The air temperature reached a high of 62°F under the canopy top. The visibility ranged from ten to fifteen miles. The tide (current) was moderate to strong. The sky was overcast all day, as it was ashore. The surface water temperature reached a high of 59°F.
The fishing was very good, the catching was nearly excellent and landings were very good indeed. Most legal fish landed were pollock, yet again. Thankfully, there are a lot of pollock around as compared to the other species. Legal landings also included seven cod, twelve haddock, five redfish and nine cusk. Released fish included twenty-one legal sized cod, ten small cod, eighteen sub-legal haddock, twelve sub-legal pollock, six blue sharks, fifteen dogfish and five sub-legal redfish. Drifting was the method. Jigs and cod flies worked the best.
John Lambert, Jr. (NY) was the fisherman of the day. He was high hook with the most legal fish. He also won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, a 12 pound cod. His second largest fish was an 11 pound cod, a tie for the second largest fish of the trip. Ron Terrio (NY) and Doug Nevison (ME) also caught cod of 11 pounds. Some of Ron's other fish included a 10 pound cod and an 8 pound pollock.
Other Angler Highlights: Andrew Desourdy (NY) caught a 10 pound cod, his biggest fish. Doug Dewitt (ME) landed the hard luck award for being the last angler to boat a legal fish. He also landed the most dogfish of the trip.
At 3:00 AM EDT the air temperature in Perkins Cove was 60°F, the sky was overcast, it was raining, there was no wind in the Cove proper, offshore a bit the wind was blowing out of the south southeast at ten knots and the visibility over the ocean was, still, very good in precipitation.
The outer Cove was hubbly with waves crashing on the rocks surrounding it coming from a large offshore swell. Sea foam was present on the surface and, to the unseasoned observer, I'm sure it looked like it was going to be rough ride out. It really wasn't. Although we did have large ocean swells, they were well spaced under a one to two foot chop. It had stopped raining before we left the float to head to the fishing grounds. And it remained so for the whole ride out. At dawn, we could see showers at different places around us but we never saw rain ourselves on the way. The air temperature hovered around 62°F for most of the ride. The visibility was good to very good or plenty good enough to see looking forward.
On the grounds, we had overcast skies all day. In the morning we had a few early periods of mist where it looked like it was going to rain. But it never did rain for the whole time fishing. Again, it looked like I could see showers around us in different places but we never had rain. The wind was out of the south southeast at five knots or more in the earlier part of the morning. The wind flipped to the south during the later morning. It gradually increased throughout the afternoon. When we left the grounds, the wind had increased to fifteen knots or more with wind speeds up to twenty knots on the ride back to Perkins Cove. Seas all day had deep sea swells of eight to twelve feet as I measured them on the sounding machine. I don't know how this equates to the reading you get from a weather buoy. We had a one foot chop over these seas in the morning which turned into a two foot chop later in the day and, then, a three foot chop on the way in. The highest air temperature that I saw was 63°F taken under the canopy top. The visibility ranged to ten miles or more. The sky was overcast all day. The tide (current) was light to moderate. The surface water temperature reached a high of 59.8°F.
Ashore, I was told that it rained all day. In fact, ten miles from getting back to Perkins Cove, we ran into rain that continued the whole way in, upon arrival and through the night - my night. The high air temperature in Perkins Cove today was 64°F, I was told. These were the air temperatures in selected New England cities: In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high air temperature was 70°F (with a low of 60°F). The Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 61°F (with a low of 55°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 61°F (with a low of 56°F).
The fishing for the first part of the morning was fair to good. The seas were a hinderance, the blue sharks overpowered us and we had dogfish. The fishing after 10:00 AM was very good despite the sea state. Although we did have an angler who was feeling lousy all day who finally succumbed to his feelings and hit the rack in the forecastle for the last hour of fishing. The catching was very good overall, as were the landings. Most legal fish landed were pollock, by far, the theme as of late. Legal landings also included twelve cod (our limit), three haddock, two redfish, two cusk and a monkfish. Released fish included over seventeen blue sharks (I'm sure there were more but the seventeen represents the number of jigs we lost to them, most before 9:00 AM!), nine dogfish, twelve legal cod, three sub-legal cod, three sub-legal haddock, twelve sub-legal pollock and quite a few mackerel. We drift fished and anchored, alternating between the two methods. We only used jigs and cod flies today.
If I were to guess, I would stay the Mike Schetter (NY) was high hook with the most legal fish today. I don't know this for sure. Mike did win the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, a 23 pound pollock. This is our largest pollock of the Bunny Clark fishing season to date. What is even better is that he caught this as part of the double with another pollock that weighed 15 pounds, both fish caught on the same line at the same time! This is the Bunny Clark's second largest double of the 2024 fishing season to date. I took a picture of Mike holding this double on a platform where it was hard to stand up with the sea state the way it was! This digital image appears on the left. Mike also won the boat pool for the third largest fish with the third largest fish, an 18 pound cod. This is the Bunny Clark's fourth largest cod of the season as of this writing. I also took a picture of this fish as well with Mike holding it. This digital image appears on the right. Some of Mike's other good fish that I weighed included a 10 pound pollock, an 11.5 pound pollock and a 12 pound cod.
Mike Hall (NY) won the boat pool for the second largest fish with the second largest fish, a 19.5 pound pollock. This is the Bunny Clark's fourth largest pollock of the season to date. Some of Mike's other good fish included a 13.5 pound pollock and a 15.5 pound pollock.
Other Angler Highlights: Joe Sinkler (NY) thought he was going to have a bad day, although it didn't start out that way. After a couple hours of fishing, he lost his rod overboard. Luckily, someone else got tangled in the line from the lost rod and Joe was able to handline the rod back to the surface! So a bad day averted thanks to his fishing mates! Some of Joe's fish included 14.5 pound pollock, a 17.5 pound pollock, a 15 pound cod and a 13.5 pound pollock.
Tim Ryder (NY) caught a 10.5 pound pollock early. His largest pollock weighed 17 pounds. His largest cod weighed 13.5 pounds. John Spignardo (NY) caught an 11 pound pollock, two pollock of 14 pounds each and a 6.5 pound monkfish. The monkfish is only the second largest monkfish that we have seen on the Bunny Clark this season so far. Chris "Buzzy" Benoit (VT) landed a double that included a 10.5 pound pollock and a 13.25 pound pollock. Only a week ago this would have been the Bunny Clark's fourth largest double of the season. I also weighed an 11.5 pound pollock for him. His dory mate, Scott Miller (VT) caught a 12 pound pollock, a 10 pound pollock, an 11 pound pollock and a 13 pound cod. Dave DeGraw (NY) had some nice fish as well including a 17 pound pollock, a 16 pound pollock and an 11 pound pollock. Bob Vogel (NY) landed a 14.75 pound pollock as his biggest of that species. His largest cod weighed 12 pounds. Ed Vross (NY) caught a 12.5 pound cod. I believe he caught some bigger cod that I didn't weigh. In fact, there were a lot of pollock over 10 pounds that I didn't weigh today. Senator Tony Mazziotti (D-NY) caught a 16.5 pound pollock. His largest cod weighed 13.5 pounds. He also landed the hard luck award for being under the weather more than is normal for him!
Three wonderful individuals sponsored me for my part in the Pan-Mass Challenge today, a cycling event to fund cancer research at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, Massachusetts. Also known in New England as the Jimmy Fund, this even (as of the middle of this summer) has raised a billion dollars to fight cancer since 1986. I got involved in 2007. Since that time I am only less than $700.00 away from a total of a half a million dollars that I have raised for cancer research since I started. Those who are helping me to reach that today were Bob Bready (NY) for $30.00, Mike Schetter (NY) for $50.00 and Scott Miller (VT) for another $40.00. All have helped me to reach that goal in the past as well. Thank you all so very much for your generosity and for the support you have given me in this project over the years. I really appreciate it!
At 5:00 AM EDT the air temperature in Perkins Cove was 57°F, the sky was clear with a crescent moon hanging high over the eastern horizon, the roads were dry, the wind was light out of the north northwest and the visibility over the ocean was very good in some haze.
Ashore, it was a beautiful summer-like day. The sky was clear all day except for a cloud patch in the late afternoon that moved off the east. The visibility was excellent. The wind was light out of the west and then light out of the south. The ocean along the shore was calm with a much smaller sea. The air temperature reached a high of 76°F in Perkins Cove. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high air temperature was 80°F (with a low of 63°F). The Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 76°F (with a low of 51°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 74°F (with a low of 54°F).
On the fishing grounds, the wind blew out of the west at five knots or less. The ocean was calm over sea swells of about three feet. The air temperature reached a high of 65°F. The visibility ranged from a quarter of a mile in fog to fifteen and twenty miles in some haze. The tide (current) was moderate. The sky was sunny and clear all day. The surface water temperature reached a high of 61°F.
The fishing was good. The weather was fine but the dogfish were up and there are still enough active blue sharks to keep the fishing category down a couple of pegs. The catching was very good. Landings were good, very good for size. Most legal fish landed were pollock, yet again. Legal landings also included eleven cod (today's limit), sixteen haddock, two redfish, five cusk, two whiting and over forty mackerel. Released fish included about seventy-five dogfish, more or less, six blue sharks, two legal sized cod, twelve sub-legal cod, thirty-two sub-legal haddock, over forty sub-legal pollock, seven sub-legal redfish, a sculpin and a few mackerel. Drifting was the method. No one used bait, all jigs and cod flies.
Anne Caputo (NY) was high hook with the most legal fish. She had a banner day. Her two largest fish, or the largest fish that Ian weighed, included a 10 pound pollock and a 10.5 pound pollock. Clarence Hagadorn (NY) won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, a 15 pound pollock. Clarence's second largest fish was an 11.5 pound pollock. There was a tie for the second largest fish at 12 pounds. Both were pollock. Leo Wood (NY) caught one. Rich Maciaszek (MA) caught the other.
Other Angler Highlights: Steve Schultz (NY) caught the largest cod at 11 pounds. Brett Wood (NY) caught a 10 pound pollock, his best fish. Jeff Wood (NY) also caught a 10 pound pollock. Ron Terrio (NY) landed a pollock that weighed in at 10.5 pounds. Rick Hagadorn (NY) caught an 11 pound pollock, his biggest fish. Dom Caputo (NY) landed the hardest luck of the day award for losing four jigs, three to blue sharks!
I received five donations today sponsoring me in this season's Pan-Mass Challenge today. Harry Bajakian (NJ/ME) donated $250.00, Mark Goodman (MA) also donated $250.00. Both donations were made in the form of an "eGift" through the PMC site. Both have donated to my cause many times before. I consider both donations very generous. The other donations included $50.00 from John Lambert, Jr. (NY), $40.00 from Rick Hagadorn and a generous $100.00 from Scott & Nancy Simpson (ME). All have helped me in this project. The donations are very much appreciated. Thank you so very much!
At 5:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 54°F, the sky was clear with a sliver of a moon hanging above the eastern horizon, the wind was light out of the north and the visibility over the ocean was excellent.
Ashore, we had a light wind off the ocean. It was out of the northeast in the morning but came around out of the east in the afternoon. Wind speeds were ten knots at the highest but seemed pretty close to that most of the day. The sky was clear and sunny in the morning but clouds started creeping in after noon. By 2:00 PM, we had overcast skies. The sky remained overcast for the rest of the day on into the night. The visibility remained excellent. The highest air temperature that I saw was 68°F. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high air temperature was 68°F (with a low of 59°F). The Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 72°F (with a low of 48°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 70°F (with a low of 52°F).
On the fishing grounds, the wind blew out of the east northeast at five to ten knots. Seas were chops of a foot or less over swells that ranged from two to three feet. The air temperature reached a high of 64°F. The visibility ranged to over twenty miles. The tide (current) was strong. The sky was sunny. The surface water temperature reached a high of 61°F.
The fishing was tough. There were a lot of dogfish and the tide was strong, promoting tangles. Not a great fishing scene and not conducive to great landings. The catching was good, excellent if you included the dogfish. Landings were fair. Legal landings included a cod, ten haddock, eight pollock, ten cusk, two white hake and six mackerel. Released fish included over one hundred and fifty dogfish, seven blue sharks, seven sub-legal cod, thirty sub-legal haddock, twenty-four sub-legal pollock and a mackerel. They anchored and drift fished, trying to cope with the strong tide. Jigs and cod flies did slightly better than the bait rigs.
Ian couldn't tell me who was high hook with the most legal fish. There was just too much going on. David Schilling (ME) won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, an 8 pound pollock. There was a 6 pound cusk that Ian weighed but never got the angler's name, thinking that there would be a bigger fish landed. And there was a white hake that came in at 5 pounds. No name on the angler who caught that fish as well.
Other Angler Highlights: Steve Levigne (NY) landed the hard luck award t-shirt for losing three jigs, I suspect, to blue sharks.
Tyler Canterbury (MA) did me a huge favor by donating $30.00 to help me with cancer research through the Pan-Mass Challenge today. Thank you very much, Tyler. This is very much appreciated!
At 5:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 52°F, the sky was thinly overcast with some stars showing through, the wind was light out of the north northeast and the visibility over the ocean was suspect as I could not see Boon Island Light.
Ashore, once daylight arrived, we I found a fog bank setting just offshore. Fifteen minutes later, the coast was enshrouded in fog. The fog moved out and then in again and then stayed offshore for the rest of the day. The fog finally vanished a bit after noon. The sky cleared completely by sunrise. The sky stayed clear all day with some clouds in the afternoon. The wind was very light and variable in direction until later afternoon when a light southerly breeze picked up. The ocean along the shore was calm all day. The visibility ranged from poor in the fog to excellent in the afternoon. The highest air temperature that I saw was 68°F around mid afternoon. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high air temperature was 80°F (with a low of 62°F). The Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 70°F (with a low of 49°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 68°F (with a low of 53°F).
On the fishing grounds, the wind blew out of the east at about five knots and then just expired. The ocean was calm for the whole time fishing. The air temperature reached a high of 65°F under the canopy top but it was hot on deck under the sun. The visibility ranged from a quarter of a mile to ten miles in the morning fog. After noon, the fog disappeared with over twenty miles of range. The tide (current) was moderate. The surface water temperature reached a high of 61°F.
The fishing was very good today despite the larger number of dogfish. Of course, without the dogs, the fishing would have been excellent. The catching was excellent, with or without the dogs. Landings were very good to excellent. Most legal fish landed were pollock, by far. Legal landings also included fifteen cod, eleven haddock, one redfish, three cusk, a white hake, six whiting and over thirty mackerel. Released fish included over one hundred and twenty-five dogfish, one legal sized cod, five sub-legal cod, twenty-six sub-legal haddock, twelve sub-legal pollock, a few mackerel, two blue sharks and one basking shark that got in the way. They drift fished all day. Jigs and flies worked best by far.
Ian could not discern who was high hook. There was just too much going on. Everyone did so equally well. "Almost ten" year old Lewis Dobrow (ME) won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, a 15 pound pollock. The second largest fish was a 14.5 pound pollock caught by Rick Valentine (ME). Rick also caught the only white hake that weighed 12 pounds. And he caught another pollock that weighed 11.5 pounds. Steve Aluisy (MA) boated the third largest fish, a 12.5 pound pollock. He also caught a 10 pound pollock and a pollock that weighed 10.5 pounds.
Other Angler Highlights: Matteo Aluisy (MA) caught a 10 pound pollock right off the bat to start the pool. Jason Wormwood (ME) caught the best double that included an 11.5 pound pollock and a 7 pound pollock, both fish caught on the same line at the same time. His largest fish was a 12 pound pollock. Erik Travis (NH) boated a 9 pound pollock. Jon Camacho (CT) landed a 10 pound pollock, his biggest fish. Kris Carr (MA) caught a 10 pound cod, a tie for the largest cod. Jorge Torres (CT) also caught a 10 pound cod. Matteo Aluisy actually also landed the hard luck award for breaking his pole. I don't know the details but I can well imagine how it happened.
At 5:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 54°F, the sky was mosaic pattern of evenly spaced clouds and clear patches, the wind was light out of the west and the visibility over the ocean was very good at least.
Ashore, the day started out perfectly, with clear skies and warming air temperatures. There was no fog like there was yesterday morning. And it felt like fall coming on. Except, so far, we have had warmer air temperatures on a daily basis than we had last year. The wind blew out of the west at light speeds and then ended up out of the east at light speeds. Maybe five knots at most? The ocean along the shore was as calm as a mill pond. The sky was clear all day, cloudless for most of it. The visibility was excellent all day. The highest air temperature that I saw was 70°F. The light wind off the water kept the temperature down a bit from what I saw in other areas of the state. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high air temperature was 68°F (with a low of 54°F). The Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 77°F (with a low of 48°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 72°F (with a low of 50°F).
On the fishing grounds, the wind was non-existent. I guess you could say it was light and variable but there really was no wind. The ocean was calm all day. Too calm for drifting in shallow water. The high air temperature, as recorded under the canopy top, was 67°F. But it wasn't as warm outside the canopy top as it was yesterday. The visibility ranged from a half mile in fog during the early part of the fishing to over twenty miles in the later morning and afternoon. The tide (current) was moderate. The sky was clear and cloudy. The surface water temperature reached a high of 63°'F, a very high surface water temperature for almost the first of October.
The fishing was good. It could have been better but they were killed by dogfish in the morning and blue sharks in the afternoon. Other than that, the fishing was excellent. The catching was very good to excellent. The landings, overall, were excellent. Most legal fish landed were pollock, by far. Ian didn't weigh a lot of fish in the 10 pound class today.Legal landings also included seven cod, nine haddock, two redfish, seven cusk, fourteen whiting and about twenty mackerel. Released fish included twelve blue sharks (and twelve jigs lost), one hundred and forty-eight dogfish, seven sub-legal cod, thirty-five sub-legal haddock, forty-one sub-legal pollock, one sub-legal redfish, a barndoor skate and a couple mackerel. They drift fished all day. No bait was used today, just jigs and cod flies.
No way could Ian tell who was high hook with the most legal fish today. It was busy in the morning but Ian and Danny were right out straight in the afternoon. And so many anglers did equally well. Dwayne Stoll (ME) won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, a 20 pound barndoor skate. Ian took a picture of Dwayne with only our second barndoor skate this season so far. This digital image appears on the left in this missive. The second largest fish was a 17 pound pollock caught by Michael Fisher (ME). Bryan Basile (CT) caught the third largest fish, a 16 pound pollock.
Other Angler Highlights: Aleigha Mason (CT) boated a 14 pound pollock, her largest fish. Mathias Stoll (ME) caught a 12.5 pound pollock and a 14.5 pound pollock, his two biggest fish. Mark Fraher (CT) caught a 15 pound pollock, his best. Lucas Fraher (CT) also caught a 15 pound pollock. Richard Mason (CT) boated a 14 pound pollock. Phil Hibbard (ME) caught two pollock that weighed 13 pounds each. Patrick Caron (ME) caught a 12 pound pollock. Anthony Caron (ME) caught an 11 pound pollock. Jared Stoll (ME) boated a 14.5 pound pollock, his biggest fish. Aaron Fisher (ME) landed the hard luck award for being the sole (soul?) hurler today. Not good!
I received two donations sponsoring me in the Pan-Mass Challenge today. Those wonderful individuals and their donations included $40.00 from Mark Fraher and Mary Ann Donovan & Gary Vincze (CT) for $50.00. Mary Ann's & Gary's donation was made "in memory of Pat who died last month.Thank you for all you do." And thank you for your support today and over the years. I believe that it helps so much. And I certainly appreciate the help!
At 3:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 55°F, the sky was mostly cloudy, the wind was light out of the northeast and the visibility over the ocean was excellent.
We had an easy ride to the fishing grounds as the wind never got any stronger than about seven knots or so. Seas were chops of a foot or two just by nature of the wind direction. There is a long fetch with a northeast wind. The visibility was excellent. The sky was mostly cloudy. The air temperature rose to 60°F about three miles from Perkins Cove and stayed there all the way to our destination.
On the fishing grounds, the wind blew out of the northeast or east northeast for most of the day. Although, most of the morning had an easterly lilt to the wind. And the current was certainly west (from the east). Wind speeds increased to about fifteen knots with seas that increased to three and four feet. Seas were enhanced by the tide. The air temperature stayed at 62°F all day, never wavering. The visibility ranged to over fifteen miles, near as I could tell with no reference points. The sky cleared for most of the morning but clouded up by noon. The sky wasn't totally overcast but it came as close as it gets without being so. The tide (current) was light to moderate. The surface water temperature was close to 60°F but dropped to 58.2°F by the time we were ready to head home.
Ashore, these were the air temperatures in selected New England cities: In Perkins Cove, Ogunquit, Maine the high air temperature was 64°F with overcast skies and the wind blowing across the parking lot from the ocean. I was told that it felt raw all day in the Cove. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high air temperature was 66°F (with a low of 57°F). The Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 69°F (with a low of 47°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 63°F (with a low of 46°F).
The fishing was good to very good overall. You would have thought that the sea state would be a consideration. But it really wasn't. No one got sea sick and the tide wasn't strong. However, mobility and range were cut down because of the seas. The wind prevented me from drifting when I wanted to. But the biggest deterrent to the fishing were the blue sharks. They were a constant bother today. Fishing would have been nearly excellent without them. The catching was very good. Landings were very good overall. Most legal fish landed were pollock, by far, many over 10 pounds that I didn't weigh. Legal landings also included fifteen cod, thirteen haddock, thirty-nine redfish, four cusk, one white hake, six whiting and four squirrel hake. Released fish included twenty-one blue sharks (probably more; we lost twenty-one jigs to blue sharks today.), seven dogfish, six legal sized cod, three sub-legal cod, one sub-legal haddock and five sub-legal pollock. We did try one drift in the morning. We anchored for the rest of the day. Jigs and cod flies caught all the fish today.
Fred Kunz (NH) was high hook with the most legal fish including the most redfish of the trip. He lost, what appeared to be, a trophy sized cusk in the morning. The fish got off the hook at the surface and swam right back to bottom. Cusk rarely do that! Instead, they stay floating on the surface until we can gaff them. Not this one. His largest cod was 10.5 pounds. His largest pollock weighed 10 pounds. Stan Johnson (MA) won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, a 19 pound pollock. This pollock comes in as a tie for the Bunny Clark's fifth largest pollock of the fishing season to date. He caught quite a few pollock today. Drew LaSalle (ME) won the boat pool for the second largest fish with second largest fish of the trip and the largest cod at 15.25 pounds. I did weight a 10.5 pound pollock for him.
John Ford (PA) won the boat pool for the third largest fish, a 15 pound pollock. I would wager that he caught the most pollock of anyone today. I do believe he would have caught even more pollock had he taken the hook protectors off the treble hook on his jig! I have never known John to be as much of a conservationist as he was today! Some of the other fish of John's that I weighed included an 11 pound cod, a double that included a 10 pound pollock and an 8 pound pollock (both fish caught on the same line at the same time) and a 12.5 pound pollock.
Other Angler Highlights: Dave Burton (MA) figured out how to catch more fish when he ditched the "whale wire" he had been using for the last couple of trips. He did come into it by the middle of the trip today. He caught the first fish I could weigh, an 8 pound cusk. He caught pollock up to and over 10 pounds. J.D. Willson (AR) caught the best double today. His fish included a 12.5 pound pollock and a 10 pound pollock. He also caught an 11 pound cod, a 10 pound cod and another pollock of 12.5 pounds. Phil Ashe (NY) caught the most legal cod today. His first cod weighed about 8 or 9 pounds, which he kept. He then released an 8.5 pound cod and a 12.5 pound cod. The biggest fish I weighed for Sam Yang (ME) was a 10.5 pound pollock.
Julie Mahony (ME) caught an 11 pound pollock, her best. Joe Ford (PA) caught the largest haddock at 4 pounds. Chris LaSalle (PA) caught a 10.5 pound pollock and a 14 pound pollock, his two best. Mark Belanger (ME) boated a 12.5 pound pollock. Alex Hersom (ME) caught a pollock slightly bigger at 13 pounds. Tom LaSalle (NJ) caught a 13.25 pound pollock, his biggest fish. He also landed the hard luck award t-shirt for losing the most jigs to blue sharks!
I was surprised by more donations to my cancer research fund raising project with the Pan-Mass Challenge today. These donors and their donations included Betsy McLaughlin (NY) for a very generous $500.00 - her second $500.00 donation this season - (Betsy has been so very generous over all the years that I have been involved in this project.), an anonymous donation of $50.00, a $50.00 donation from Dave Burton, who has also been very generous in this project, Fred Kunz for $15.00, a lift time supporter, and Steve McGrath (NH) for another $50.00, who has supported this fund raising drive through me since 2007! Thank you all so very much for your thoughtfulness and generosity. I am so humbled by your support and appreciate this so very much.
Captain Ian Keniston and Danny DellaMonica ran the extreme day trip today.At 5:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 51°F, the sky was overcast, the wind was blowing out of the northeast at ten knots and the visibility over the ocean was very good, at least.
Ashore, The wind continued out of the northeast for a while but the wind didn't have any teeth. Wind speeds were approaching ten knots but never got there. By noon, the wind was out of the east at the same velocity. By 7:00 PM, there was very little easterly wind. The visibility was very good all day. The sky was a mix of sun and clouds. The air temperature reached a high of 66°F, that I saw. The wind off the water kept the air temperature down. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high air temperature was 66°F (with a low of 55°F). The Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 65°F (with a low of 43°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 63°F (with a low of 47°F).
On the fishing grounds, the wind blew out of the east at ten to five knots. Seas were swells of two to three feet under a two to one foot chop. The air temperature reached a high of 61°F. The visibility ranged to over fifteen miles in haze. The tide (current) was moderate. The sky was a mix of sun and clouds. The surface water temperature reached a high of 60°F.
The fishing was very good today. There were only a few blue sharks, fewer dogfish and great weather with sunny skies and mild air temperatures, a perfect day for humans on the high seas. The catching was very good and landings were very good. Most legal fish landed were pollock, by far. In fact, they had to get away from the pollock because over half the crew caught pollock with me yesterday so they didn't want anymore. The pollock were of better sizes in general than yesterday as well. Legal landings also included seven cod, eleven haddock, five redfish, four cusk, twelve whiting and ten mackerel. Releaseed fish included four blue sharks, fifteen dogfish, four sub-legal cod, twenty sub-legal haddock, twenty sub-legal pollock and a couple mackerel.
Ian, again, couldn't tell me who was high hook with the most legal fish. I don't think it was possible unless you counted fillets. Everyone did equally well. Joe Stanton, Jr. (PA) won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, a 17 pound pollock. He also caught a 14 pound pollock that tied for the third largest fish of the trip with John Ford (PA) who also caught a 14 pound pollock. Ian also weighed a 12.5 pound pollock that John caught. The second largest fish was a 16.5 pound pollock caught by Joe Ford (PA).
Other Angler Highlights: Steve McGrath (NH) caught a 13 pound pollock and a 12 pound pollock, his two best fish. Craig MacDowell (MA) landed a 12 pound pollock and an 11.5 pound pollock. Joe Stanton, Sr. caught an 11.5 pound pollock and lost three jigs to blue sharks in the process. Lindsey MacDowell (MA) caught the best double of the day. Her catch included a 12.5 pound pollock and a 10.5 pound pollock, both fish caught on the same line at the same time! Ian took a picture of Lindsey holding her two pollock. This digital image appears on the right. She also caught a 12 pound pollock. And she landed the hard luck award t-shirt for being the only sea sick angler aboard today. It did not affect her fishing prowess.
Andy Armitage (ME) did cancer research a huge favor by donating $250.00 through me to the Pan-Mass Challenge today. This donation was made in the form of an "eGift" through the PMC site. He also left me a note that said: "Tim - you are an inspiration in all you do for the PMC and the money you raise for such a fantastic cause. This genuinely helps so many people fighting cancer - both now and in the future." Andy has been supporting my cancer project, almost, since the time I got involved in 2007. He is so good about it. But not quite as good as he is as a host and as a person. English football has become a major part of my life's entertainment because of Andy. There is so very much to appreciate about the man, including appreciating his support in this cancer project.
At 3:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 52°F, the sky was overcast, there wasn't enough wind to write about and the visibility over the ocean was very good, at least.
It was flat calm from the gate at the entrance to Perkins Cove to the fishing grounds. When there was wind, it was a knot or two out of the northwest. Or just ripples on the surface. We also had about a three foot long ocean swell underneath. The sky went from overcast to clear. The visibility was very good. The air temperature hung at 61°F for the whole ride out.
On the fishing grounds, there was no wind for the first four hour of fishing. There was very little drift as well. But there was some drift. And we did have that underlying swell that ranged from three to four feet every eleven seconds. The calm ocean lasted until about 2:00 PM. After that, the wind started blowing from the south southwest. This wind slowly increased in velocity. By 3:00 PM it was blowing about ten knots. When we were on our way back, the south southwest wind blew about fifteen knots with seas of two feet or more in chops and three or four foot long following swell. The air temperature reached a high of 63°F. The visibility ranged to twenty miles in haze. The tide (current) was light to moderate. The sky was clear to start, overcast for the middle part of the fishing and clear for most of the afternoon and the ride home. The surface water temperature was mostly 58°F wherever I went.
. Ashore, these were the air temperatures in selected New England cities: In Perkins Cove, Ogunquit, Maine the high air temperature was 71°F. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high air temperature was 69°F (with a low of 53°F). The Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 74°F (with a low of 48°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 66°F (with a low of 49°F).
The fishing was very good to excellent. There were a handful of dogfish and a few blue sharks but the weather was great with plenty of mobility and never had to waist time anchoring. The catching was very good. Landings were very good, excellent for size. Most legal fish landed were pollock, by far. I didn't weigh a lot of pollock under 11 or more pounds. As it was, I think I weighed too many. Legal landings also included seven cod, nineteen haddock, three redfish, eight cusk, twenty-six white hake and two whiting. Released fish included eighteen dogfish, four blue sharks, fifteen sub-legal cod, eighteen sub-legal haddock, nine sub-legal pollock and a mackerel. We drift fished all day. Jigs and cod flies caught all the legal fish today.
Dave Burton (MA) and Jonathan "Griff" Griffin (MA) shared high hook status with the most legal fish today. Dave won the boat pool for the second largest fish with the second largest fish, a 34.5 pound Maine state trophy white hake. This is our eighth largest hake of the Bunny Clark fishing season to date. Some of his other good fish included a 21 pound white hake, an 11.75 pound pollock, a 15 pound white hake and a 10 pound pollock. Also, Dave caught a hake on almost every spot we fished today. Griff, for his part, didn't catch huge fish but did catch a lot of fish, as mentioned. Some of his fish included a 24.5 pound white hake, a 13.5 pound pollock, a 21.5 pound white hake, a 16.5 pound white hake and an 18.5 pound white hake. He caught many pollock under 11 pounds.
Ken Altarac (NY) won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, a 37 pound Maine state trophy white hake. This is the Bunny Clark's third largest hake of the fishing season so far. I took a picture of Ken with his big fish. This digital image appears on the left. I also weighed to pollock for him that were 11 and 13 pounds. Gloria Gennari (MA) won the boat pool for the third largest fish with the third largest fish, a 30 pound Maine state trophy white hake. Her largest pollock weighed 12 pounds.
Other Angler Highlights: Jim Koplar (CT), sans Guy Hesketh (his dory mate), landed a 24 pound white hake as his largest fish. He also caught a 10.5 pound pollock and a 13 pound pollock. But his catch of the day were the last two fish of the trip. Caught as a double, both fish on the same line at the same time, he caught a 17.5 pound pollock and a 12 pound pollock. This ties our fifth largest double of the Bunny Clark season so far. John Ford (PA) also caught a double that included an 18 pound white hake and a 14 pound white hake. That is our fourth largest double of the Bunny Clark fishing season to date. Some of John's other good fish included a 13 pound pollock, another 18 pound white hake, a 12 pound pollock, an 18.5 pound white hake, a 14 pound pollock, a 20 pound white hake and another 12 pound pollock. Joe Ford (PA) caught the largest double of the Bunny Clark fishing season today - as of this writing. His double included a 24.5 pound white hake and a 21.5 pound white hake. I took a picture of Joe holding up his double. This digital image appears on the right. (Eat your heart out, Shawn!) A couple other fish of his that I weighed included a 12 pound pollock and a 22.5 pound white hake.
Jesse Barber (CT) landed a 12.75 pound pollock, a 15 pound pollock, a 12 pound pollock and an 11 pound pollock. He wanted to catch a hake today. But that didn't happen for him. Shakhan "Shak" Wyche (NY) also wanted to catch a hake. Instead, he caught the largest pollock of the trip at 18 pounds. Another pollock of his weighed 10 pounds. Captain Joe Stanton, Jr. (PA) boated a 23 pound white hake, his best fish today. His largest pollock weighed 14.5 pounds. And he also caught a 15.25 pound white hake. Joe Stanton, Sr. (PA) landed an 18 pound white hake, his biggest fish. Jonathan Tyska (MA) caught an 11.5 pound pollock, a 15 pound white hake and a 10.5 pound pollock. Dana Decormier (NH) had a battle with he equilibrium today. He was okay for a while but gave in to it after a couple of hours of fishing. But not before Dana boated the third largest pollock of the trip at 17 pounds. And, yes, he landed the hard luck award t-shirt for hanging out in the Hotel Bunny Clark for the rest of the trip!
I received donations today sponsoring me in my cancer fundraising drive with the Pan-Mass Challenge. Those donors and their gifts included Gloria Gennari for $50.00, Dave Burton for a generous $100.00 (Dave has been my most generous continuous donor this season!!!), Dana Decormier for $40.00, Joe Ford for $60.00 and Captain Joe Stanton for $50.00. Thank you all so very much for your support and thoughtfulness. None of this is ever lost on me. I appreciate all the help I can get. And I do get a lot of help and support. It's humbling.
At 5:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 53°F, the sky was hazy clear, there was no wind, it was perfectly still at Oarweed Cove on the other side of the parking lot and the visibility over the ocean was very good in some haze.
Ashore, there was really no wind all day. The wind we did have in the morning was from the northeast but it was only because you the hear the bell buoy that you knew the wind was out of the northeast carrying the sound to us. The ocean was calm with a long swell showing up as waves breaking on the shore. The visibility was very good in some haze. We even had a bit of fog offshore for a small period of time. The sky was clear in the morning and mostly overcast in the afternoon. It looked like it was going to rain with at 4:00 PM but it never did. The wind started to blow out of the south at 5:00 PM or so. By 8:00 PM, the southerly wind was up to twelve knots. The highest air temperature that I saw today was 68°F. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high air temperature was 79°F (with a low of 51°F). The Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 74°F (with a low of 44°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 64°F (with a low of 45°F).
On the fishing grounds, the wind blew out of the southwest after a long calm period in the morning without wind. The ocean was calm all day with a two foot swell. The air temperature reached a high of 63°F. The visibility ranged from fifteen to twenty miles. The sky was sunny in the morning, as it was ashore, and overcast in the afternoon, as we had. The tide (current) was light to moderate. The surface water temperature reached a high of 60°F.
The fishing was very good today, like yesterday with just a few more dogfish and very few blue sharks. The catching was very good. Landings were good to very good overall. Most legal fish landed were pollock. Legal landings also included seven cod, nine haddock, a redfish, six cusk, a whiting and fifteen mackerel. Released fish included fifty-five dogfish, a blue shark, six legal sized cod, twelve sub-legal cod, fifteen sub-legal haddock, twenty-eight sub-legal pollock and a couple mackerel. Drifting was the method. Only jigs and cod flies were used today. No angler used bait.
Ian couldn't tell me who was high hook with the most legal fish. Jonathan Tyska (MA) won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, a 13 pound pollock. He also caught a pollock that weighed 10.5 pounds. Jonathan "Griff" Griffin (MA) landed the second largest fish, a 12.5 pound pollock. The third largest fish was an 11.5 pound pollock caught by Dale Blanton (NH). He also caught the largest cod at 11 pounds.
Other Angler Highlights: Mark Simpson (NH) boated a 10 pound pollock and a 9 pound pollock, his two biggest fish. Gloria Gennari (MA) landed the hard luck award for being the only angler to not land a fish of 10 pounds or more.
At 5:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 57°F, the sky was overcast, there was no wind in Perkins Cove but the closest weather buoy was showing ten knots out of the south and the visibility over the ocean was excellent.
I was going to go for a run after the boat left at 5:00 AM but I figured I would wait until the sun came up. But it started to rain lightly. So I didn't go. The rained didn't last and hardly got the ground wet. The clouds lasted for most of the morning. The sky started to break up around 10:00 AM. By noon, the sky was completely clear. The visibility was excellent, less so in the rain and haze earlier. The wind backed out of the north and blew up to ten knots. After noon, the wind was out of the northeast and stayed at about five or six knots. The air temperature was warm. By noon, it was 70°F. The high air temperature reached 74°F. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high air temperature was 71°F (with a low of 57°F). The Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 72°F (with a low of 40°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 70°F (with a low of 47°F).
On the fishing grounds, the wind blew out of the southwest at five knots to start then backed out of the north northwest at ten to fifteen knots. Seas swells with a one foot chop over the top at first increasing to a two foot chop with the wind shift. The air temperature reached a high of 63°F. The visibility ranged from fifteen to twenty miles in some haze. The tide (current) was strong. The sky was overcast for most of the morning but sunny after noon and the wind shift. The surface water temperature reached a high of 59°F.
The fishing was good at best today. The tide was very strong, there were many anglers sea sick (which was very unexpected) and they had a lot of blue shark strikes. There were, however, very few dogfish today. The catching was good to very good. Landings were good. Most legal fish landed were pollock. Legal landings also included eleven cod, two haddock, six cusk and fifteen mackerel. Released fish included ten blue sharks (with ten jigs), four dogfish, twenty sub-legal cod, fourteen sub-legal haddock, twenty-one sub-legal pollock and a couple mackerel. They anchored mostly but drift fished later in the day. No bait was used today; only jigs and flies.
Pat Sweenor was high hook with the most legal fish. His two best fish were a 10.5 pound pollock and a 12.5 pound pollock. Kevin Mannion won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, a 17 pound cod. This is the Bunny Clark's ties for the sixth largest cod of the fishing season so far. The second largest fish was a 15.25 pound pollock caught by Sam Sweenor. Sam also caught a pollock that weighed 12.5 pounds. Keith House caught the third largest fish, a 15 pound pollock.
Other Angler Highlights: Stuffy House boated a 10 pound pollock early today. His largest fish was a 13 pound pollock. Jacob Allen caught a 10.5 pound pollock. Brian Adao boated a 12.5 pound pollock, his best. Rodney Sharp caught a 12 pound pollock. Mark Espada landed a 14 pound pollock, his biggest fish. He also landed the hard luck award t-shirt for making high hurler status. Ouch! I did talk to Mark at the dock when they came back in. He had made a remarkable recovery.
At 5:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 46°F (the lowest morning air temperature at my house since May 12, 2024), the sky was crystal clear, the wind was blowing out of the north at five knots and the visibility over the ocean was excellent.
The air temperature was cool all day today, making one feel that fall was fast approaching. We have had such mild weather this fall that it's going to come as a shock when cold weather does finally overwhelm us. Today's high temperature was 61°F. Or, at least, that was the highest air temperature that I saw. The wind blew out of the north all day. Wind speeds were about ten knots or less, decreasing as the day progressed. The visibility was excellent. The sky was clear and sunny for most of the day. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high air temperature was 62°F (with a low of 51°F). The Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 67°F (with a low of 35°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 60°F (with a low of 43°F).
On the fishing grounds, the wind blew out of the northeast at ten knots to start and then diminished during the trip. Seas started as a two foot chop over a long swell that was also about two feet. By the end of the day there was just a long rolling swell under a calm surface. The air temperature reached a high of 60°F. The visibility ranged to over twenty miles. The sky was overcast in the morning, sunny in the afternoon through clear skies. The tide (current) was moderate. The surface water temperature reached a high of 59°F.
The fishing was very good, the category down a notch due to some dogfish and blue sharks. The sea state was fine. The catching was very good as were the landings. Most legal fish landed were pollock, by far. Legal landings also included nine cod, four haddock, four cusk and thirty-five mackerel. Released fish included forty-one dogfish, three blue sharks (with jewelry), ten sub-legal cod, twenty-two sub-legal haddock, forty or so sub-legal pollock and a few mackerel. Oddly, most of the action was closer to noon and near the end of the trip with the better weather. Drifting was the method. Only jigs and cod flies were used. No bait was used today.
Ian could not tell me who was high hook with the most legal fish today. There was much going on. Darlene Chin (FL/VT) probably caught the most significant fish in total. She landed the largest double, which included a 14 pound pollock and a 13 pound pollock, both fish caught on the same line at the same time! And she caught the second and third largest fish of the trip, a 15 pound pollock and a 16 pound pollock. Actually, her 14 pound pollock tied for the fourth largest fish of the trip. Mary Glyptis (NY) won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, a 20 pound pollock. This fish ties the third largest pollock caught on the Bunny Clark this fishing season so far. She had already caught a 10 pound pollock before this fish for practice. Captain Ian took a picture of Mary holding her large pollock with his iPhone. This digital image appears on the left.
Other Angler Highlights: Buzz Leonard (ME) started off the trip with the first fish to weigh, a 10 pound pollock. Later in the day he caught another 10 pound pollock and an 11 pound pollock. Brian Tufts (NH/FL) caught the largest cod at 8 pounds. Chris Cichon (NJ) caught boated an 11 pound pollock, a 12 pound pollock and a pollock that weighed 12.5 pounds. Cooper Boccanfuso (ME) caught a 12.5 pound pollock, his largest fish. Dan Potyrala (MA) caught a 13 pound pollock and two pollock that weighed 12 pounds each. Ali Laflamme (ME) started off with a 9 pound but tied Darlene for the fourth largest fish of the trip with a 14 pound pollock. John Godbout (SC) landed the hard luck award for catching not a single legal fish. That takes talent; to have your terminal gear down there with so many fish and not hook a single one. How do you practice for that?
Dan Potyrala did me a huge favor today by donating $70.00 to me cancer project with the Pan-Mass Challenge today. Dan's father, Chet, was the reason I decided to dedicate some time every day to help fight cancer. Chet was a regular angler on the Bunny Clark - like his son (sons). Thank you so very much, Dan. This is very much appreciated by all involved!
At 5:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 57°F, the stars could be seen through a hazy sky, the wind was blowing out of the south at eight knots and the visibility over the ocean was excellent. More later.
We have room on some upcoming trips: The Wednesday, October 9, extreme day trip has all twenty fishing spots open, the Friday, October 11, extreme day trip has seventeen fishing spots open, the extreme day trip on Saturday, October 12, has eighteen fishing spots available, the Sunday, October 13, extreme day trip has seventeen fishing spots available, the extreme day trip on Monday, October 14, has all twenty fishing places available, the Tim Tuesday marathon trip on October 15 has fourteen fishing spots available, the Wednesday, October 16, extreme day trip has nineteen fishing spots available, the marathon trip on Thursday, October 17, has fourteen fishing spots available and we have many spots available on most of the trips moving forward. We are starting to see more and bigger pollock. We are also seeing white hake everywhere we go. We can keep cod. And we are finding cod on every trip. And the dogfish are getting fewer as well as the blue sharks. Fall is one of my favorite times of the year to fish. I am very excited about the rest of October.
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