Bunny Clark Fishing Update
Written & Edited by Tim Tower
Thursday, September 23, 2021, 7:00 AM EDT/AST
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The New England Fishery Management Council received input from both its Recreational Advisory Panel and Groundfish Committee before voting. GARFO [the regional office of the National Marine Fisheries Service under NOAA, in Gloucester, Massachusetts] will consider the Council's recommendation, but NOAA Fisheries will make the final decision. The new fishing year begins on May 1, 2021. Here is the Council's status quo request:
Gulf of Maine Cod:
Gulf of Maine Haddock:
Recreational fishing measures - bag limits, minimum sizes, and seasons - are determined annually by NOAA Fisheries in consultation with the Council in order for catch to achieve but not exceed each stock's sub-annual catch limit (sub-ACL). The proposed 2021 recreational sub-ACL for Gulf of Maine cod is 193 metric tons (mt). For Gulf of Maine haddock, it's 5,295 mt.
The regulations above are the same regulations we had in fiscal fishing year 2020.
At 5:00 AM EDT/AST the air temperature was 70°F, the sky was cloudless with haze, there wasn't enough wind to write about, the ocean along the shore was calm and the visibility over it was excellent. Ashore, the wind blew very little. If there was a direction to the wind it was probably from the south or southwest. But the ocean was so calm and beautiful along the shore, it looked like a canoe would be more suited to ply it. The sky was nearly cloudless all day, certainly in the morning. The humidity was high today, the air temperature reaching a value of 90°F. Even for summer standards, it was hot today. The visibility backed off from early morning to be good, from noon on, in haze. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 94°F with a low of 76°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 92°F (with a low of 63°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 89°F (with a low of 66°F).
On the fishing grounds, the wind was very light and variable in direction. The ocean was flat calm. The air temperature went over the 80°F mark. the visibility ranged from ten to fifteen miles in haze. The sky was a very thin overcast with the sun shinning through. The tide (current) was light to moderate. The surface water temperature reached a high of 69°F.
The fishing was very good today. The dogfish were much less, the weather was perfect, there wasn't much tide to write about and the boat drifted starboard side to for almost the whole day despite how calm it was. The catching was good and landings were good as well. Most legal fish landed today were haddock. Ten percent of the haddock caught were too small to keep. Legal landings also included thirteen pollock, four redfish, three cusk, fourteen white hake and five whiting. Released fish included the haddock, two tiny cod, twenty-five sub-legal pollock and about fifty dogfish. Drifting was the method. All terminal gear worked equally well.
Tim Rozan (ME) was high hook with fourteen legal fish. His largest fish was a 6 pound white hake, a tie for the third largest fish of the trip. Pat Belisle (VA) won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, a 24 pound barndoor skate. This is only the second barndoor skate caught this season so far. It's also the second largest barndoor skate, just 3 pounds shy of our largest. Captain Ian took a picture of Pat with his special fish. This digital image appears on the left. The second largest fish was a 9 pound pollock caught by Stan Johnson.
Other Angler Highlights: Danna Kivell (NY) lost the second largest fish of the trip, a pollock of 10 pounds or more, after it came off the hook and a large blue shark grabbed it, bit it in two and ate both halves in front of everyone. It would have been her only legal fish of the trip!
I spent the day ashore talking with a new perspective deck hand and coordination a trailer truck delivery of 10,000 pounds of chowder clams to be delivered to Barnacle Billy's. On such a crowded day, the delivery couldn't have gone much better. It took us a good ten minutes to get the eighteen wheeler turned around and back out of the Cove again. This meant that we had to lose revenue in the parking lot, keeping cars away, so that the truck did have a place to turn around. And it was hot work, six of us getting soaked in perspiration for over an hour of lugging 40 pound boxes. But it did go much better than I had expected. Sometimes we get it right.
At 5:00 AM EDT/AST the air temperature was 70°F, the sky was cloudless, there was a fullish moon handing high in the southwest corner of the sky, the wind was light out of the southwest and the visibility over the ocean was very good. Ashore, it was hot, hazy and humid. The air temperature, again, touched the 90°F mark. The wind blew out of the southwest at five to eight knots along the shore. The wind direction and strength didn't seem to waver at all today. The sky was cloudless in the morning and nearly so in the afternoon. The visibility was good to very good in haze. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 96°F with a low of 75°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 94°F (with a low of 65°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 94°F (with a low of 65°F).
On the fishing grounds, the wind blew out of the southwest at five to eight knots. The ocean was calm. The air temperature was in the low 80s. The visibility ranged from ten to fifteen miles in haze. The sky was clear. The tide (current) was moderate. The surface water temperature reached a high of 70°F.
The fishing was fair to good. There were plenty of dogfish, the current was moderate and there were blue sharks around the boat all day. Some blue sharks bothered. Some didn't. The catching was very good, excellent if you thought that catching a dogfish was a good thing. Landings were good or a little better than that. Most legal fish landed were pollock. Legal landings also included twenty-one haddock (no sub-legal haddock were caught today), six redfish, eight cusk, six white hake, six whiting and eighteen mackerel. Released fish included one hundred and twenty-five dogfish, four cod of 5 pounds or more, eight small cod, about a hundred short pollock, a wolffish and a couple mackerel. Drifting was the method. Jigs and cod flies caught the most fish.
Ian couldn't give me an angler who caught the most legal fish for the trip. Jonathan Eagan (KS) won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, an 11.5 pound pollock. He also caught the third largest fish of the trip, an 8 pound wolffish. The second largest fish was a 9 pound pollock caught by Josh Busch (NY).
Other Angler Highlights: John Busch (NY) caught a 7 pound pollock, his largest fish of the trip. Scott Braver (NY) landed the hard luck award for losing two jigs and all of his fishing line! I have not a clue why. Neither did Ian!
Dave Haberl (VT) did me a solid by donating $20.00 to may cancer research fund raising drive with the Pan-Mass Challenge today. Dave supports me every year. Thank you, Dave. It was nice to see you aboard today and I do appreciate this support you bestow on me after every trip!
At 5:00 AM EDT/AST the air temperature was 75°F, the sky was clear, there was not enough wind to write about, the ocean was calm along the shore and the visibility over it was very good. Ashore, the wind was light and variable for most of the day. By 2:00 PM, we had a southerly wind that blew just shy of ten knots, blowing down the channel in Perkins Cove. This was just along the immediate shore as offshore just a bit the ocean was calm. By 5:00 PM, there was no wind at all. The sky was sunny. The air temperature, although warm to begin, cooled a bit during the day. At noon, I saw a value of 88°F. By 2:00 PM, the air temperature was 86°F. The viability was good to very good. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 90°F with a low of 74°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 87°F (with a low of 66°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 86°F (with a low of 63°F).
On the fishing grounds, the wind, too, was light and variable. The ocean was calm. The air temperature was in the 80°F. The visibility ranged from ten to fifteen miles. The tide (current) was moderate. The sky was hazy clear and sunny. The surface water temperature reached a high of 71°F, the highest value of the season so far.
The fishing was good, I would say. The weather was perfect as was the tide. The dogfish numbers put the fishing into the good category when it could have been excellent. The catching was very good and landings were good. Most legal fish landed were haddock, by far. The haddock cull was about twenty-five percent sub-legal. Legal landings also included seventeen pollock, two redfish, twenty-three cusk, two white hake and fifty mackerel. Released fish included about one hundred dogfish, three cod of 5 pounds or more, about one hundred and fifty sub-legal pollock, twenty small cod and a few mackerel. Drifting was the method. All terminal gear worked equally well.
Tim Rozan (ME) was high hook with sixteen legal. His largest fish was a 6.5 pound white hake, the fourth largest fish of the trip. Tom Daigle (NH) won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, a 14.5 pound cod. This is the Bunny Clark's fourth largest cod of the fishing season so far. Hard to believe a cod of that size is our fourth largest. But such is the cod scene these days. Not pretty. The second largest fish was a 9 pound pollock caught by Aaron Bradbury (NH). Ryan Bell (NH) caught the third largest fish, a 7.5 pound cusk.
Other Angler Highlights: Scott Conley (NH) landed the hard luck award t-shirt for spending too much time in the tangle zone.
At 5:00 AM EDT/AST the air temperature was 66°F, the sky was mostly cloudy, the wind was blowing out of the northeast at fifteen knots and the visibility over the ocean was excellent. By 7:00 AM, the wind was blowing over fifteen knots, the flags were straight out and it looked like it was going to be a rough day. That turned out to the windiest part of the day. By 10:00 AM, the northeast wind had dropped to ten knots. For the next six hours the wind direction and strength remained the same. Not a bad day at all. The sky cleared. The air temperature got up as high as 68°F, that I saw. the visibility remained excellent. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 75°F with a low of 64°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 69°F (with a low of 58°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 68°F (with a low of 59°F).
I spent the day at the restaurants. It was not a busy Saturday. But our employees were busy as most had to do the work of two people. Even on the weekends we are short staffed. I made the decision to close Barnacle Billy's, Etc. two days a week, Tuesday and Wednesday, because my two top managers could not staff enough employees for Wednesday. And it would help if we had some from one restaurant filling in at Billy's that was going to stay open for the full seven day week. It's always a challenge in the fall. This year is going to be more of a challenge.
Then we also have problems with deck hands - again. We have one, Tim Foster, who trying his hardest to fit in to our way of doing things. He is succeeding. But not one catches on immediately. In the meantime, we have no one else.
The Covid crisis in Maine is escalating. I wonder what our Governor will do when we have few ICU beds left in Maine. Right now most are taken up with Covid patients. We were warned of a spike in the fall. I do believe this is what we are facing. And, to me, it's a shame that not everyone wants to get vaccinated. This is what seems to be driving the rise in cases.
I had some help from Don & Lisa Johnson (MA) in the fund raising department today. They donated $100.00 to my cancer project with the Pan-Mass Challenge, in memory of Wayne C. Don & Lisa have supported my cancer drive for all the years that I have taken part. Since 2007. Usually, they meet me at the finish of the ride in Provincetown, Massachusetts. This year (and last), the Covid crisis put an end to this. Thank you Don & Lisa. I appreciate your help, always, but I miss the picture in P-town. I can't wait for a bit of normalcy!
At 5:00 AM EDT/AST the air temperature was 63°F, the sky was overcast, the wind was light out of the east and the visibility over the ocean was excellent. Ashore, the wind was light and variable until 11:00 AM, when the wind became established out of the southwest. The wind continued to blow out of the southwest, increasing to ten knots by 4:00 PM. It never blew any harder than that for the rest of the day, to my knowledge. The sky was overcast all day. We had spitting very very light rain at times in the afternoon. There wasn't enough rain to even wet the roads. The air temperature was pleasant with a high, that I saw, of 68°F. The visibility remained excellent. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 73°F with a low of 64°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 66°F (with a low of 58°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 66°F (with a low of 58°F).
On the fishing grounds, the wind blew out of the southeast at five to ten knots. The ocean was calm over a two foot deep sea swell. The air temperature never reached 70°F. The visibility ranged to over twenty miles. The tide (current) was moderate. The sky was overcast for the whole time they were out. The surface water temperature reached a high of 66°F.
The fishing was marred by dogfish, the largest number Ian has seen this year to date. The catching was good. Landings were fair to good. Most legal fish landed were pollock, by far. A good day for pollock. Legal fish landed also included nine haddock, three cusk and nine mackerel. So it wasn't a great day for the other species to back up the pollock. Released fish included over two hundred dogfish, two cod of 5 pounds or more, a couple small cod, fifty or so sub-legal pollock, six sub-legal haddock and a mackerel. Drifting was the method. Jigs and cod flies caught the most fish.
Ian couldn't tell me whom was high hook with the most legal fish. Joshua Guild (NH) won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, a 12.5 pound pollock. There was a tie for the second largest fish at 11 pounds, two anglers, both pollock. Ron Neil (MA) caught one. James Anthony (NH) caught the other. Rob Meskell (MA) caught the fourth largest fish, a 10.5 pound pollock. He also caught a 7 pound cod and a 7 pound pollock before the bigger pollock was landed.
Other Angler Highlights: Mike Guild (NH) caught the biggest cod at 8 pounds. Dick Chairvolotti (NY) landed a 7.5 pound pollock. Raymond Hubert (NH) landed the hard luck award for not catching a single legal fish (except the dogfish) and for being involved in more than his share of tangles - most likely due to the dogfish plague.
Peter Bradley (CA) gave a generous $200.00 to support my cancer fund raising program with the Pan-Mass Challenge today. Peter has sponsored me in this event every year since I started in 2007. He is in Ogunquit for the week; I saw him two days ago. Thank you, Peter. You honor me with you help and generosity. Much appreciated!
At 5:00 AM EDT/AST the air temperature was 67°F, the sky was overcast, the wind was blowing out of the south southwest at twelve knots and the visibility over the ocean was very good. Ashore, the wind blew out of the southwest or west southwest all morning. Wind speeds were ten to fifteen knots. It was humid. The sky was overcast until the last couple hours of the day when skies cleared. In the late afternoon, it looked like clouds were building for some rain. That never did happen. The clouds built and then moved on. The air temperature rose to 82°F, the highest value that I saw. The visibility was good to very good in some haze. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 88°F with a low of 71°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 86°F (with a low of 63°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 82°F (with a low of 64°F).
On the fishing grounds, the wind blew out of the southwest at ten to fifteen knots. Seas were two to three feet in chops. The sky remained overcast as it was ashore at the same time. The air temperature got to the high 70°s. The visibility ranged from fifteen to twenty miles. The tide (current) was moderate. The surface water temperature reached a high of 67°F.
The fishing was corrupted by dogfish. So good or bad depended on whether the dogfish bothered you as an angler or not. The catching was very good. Landings were good. Most legal fish landed were pollock, by far. Legal landings also included twenty-five haddock, six redfish, one cusk, four white hake and twenty-five mackerel. Released fish included about one hundred and fifty dogfish or more, eight cod of 5 pounds or more, eight short cod, ten sub-legal haddock, seventy-five small pollock and a mackerel or two. There were a few blue sharks to contend with. Drifting was the method. Cod flies worked the best.
Ian couldn't tell me who was high hook. There was a lot going on. Jay Andersen (NY) won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, a 12 pound cod. Jay also caught the third largest fish, an 11 pound pollock. The second largest fish was an 11.5 pound pollock caught by John Mercogliano (NJ).
Other Angler Highlights: Scott Bishop (NY) landed a 7.5 pound pollock. Carolyn Luce (ME) also landed a 7.5 pound pollock. Matt Luce (ME) had a 7 pound cod as his biggest fish. Tarek Faitruani (NY) boated a 9 pound pollock. Mark Talarico (NY) caught a 10 pound pollock, his biggest fish and the fourth largest fish of the trip. Bill Weller (NY) landed the hard luck award t-shirt for being the most vocal hurler of the trip.
At 5:00 AM EDT/AST the air temperature was 68°F, the sky was clear, the wind was blowing lightly out of the west and the visibility over the ocean was very good. Ashore, the wind blew out of the west under ten knots for most of the morning. By sunrise, the sky was getting dull with cloud cover, overcast by later morning. The sky was mostly overcast through noon, clearing later in the afternoon, the wind hauling out of the northwest, blowing about ten knots for a while and then dying out. We were left with a very quiet evening with no wind and very summer like air temperatures. The highest air temperature that I saw was 82°F at 4:00 PM. The visibility remained very good or better than that all day. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 84°F with a low of 73°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 82°F (with a low of 59°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 82°F (with a low of 63°F).
I spent the day working at Barnacle Billy's restaurant. I bussed tables, chatted with the patrons and worked in the office at Barnacle Billy's, Etc. That was my whole day.
During this time I also talked to perspective deck hands, one a German national who wanted to work but didn't have a work visa. He had come in to the States via Mexico a short time ago, crossing the border in Arizona and then making his way up to Sanford, Maine. I went back and forth with this guy for a while until we both realized that it wasn't feasible or legal to continue any further. Such has been my life lately; much time spent without the results I wanted. Sometimes I wonder if I'm dreaming or if this is really happening to me. Life seems so bizarre these days.
At 5:00 AM EDT/AST the air temperature was 64°F, the sky was clear with a crescent moon hanging high overhead, the wind was blowing lightly out of the northwest and the visibility over the ocean was excellent. Ashore, the wind blew out of the northwest and then west, in the morning. Wind speeds were light and less than ten knots. There wasn't enough wind to raise a flag all day. The afternoon saw light southwest winds. The sky was hazy clear in the early part of the morning, a sun still able to shine through a thicker hazy/cloudy condition by noon and overcast skies by mid afternoon. By later afternoon, it was starting to mist. Not rain exactly but not quite mist either. By 7:00 PM, we where having periodic light rain as the edge of what's left of Ida got closer. There was very little wind through all of this until I went bed at 10:00 PM. The visibility was very good until the rain, less so afterward. The highest air temperature that I saw was 75°F. There was also some humidity making it warmer than it was. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 75°F with a low of 61°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 71°F (with a low of 54°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 74°F (with a low of 58°F).
I worked on the Bunny Clark's engine a bit this morning. By 7:30 AM, Tim Foster showed up to start cleaning the boat. Ian Keniston showed up at 8:00 AM. For the rest of the morning Ian and Tim worked on cleaning the Bunny Clark and working on fishing gear, Ian getting Tim up to speed on many items. This operation is very new to Tim. Ian left by noon. I went over a few more things with Tim, who left around 2:00 PM.
My day was spent in Barnacle Billy's restaurant. Barnacle Billy's, Etc. was closed today.
At 5:00 AM EDT/AST the air temperature was 59°F, the sky was overcast, it was raining hard, the wind was out of the northeast blowing at sustained twenty-five knots with gusts over thirty knots and the visibility over the ocean was good. By 7:00 AM, the hard rain was gone, replaced by a drizzle and mist. We had periodic light rain until about 10:00 AM. It was so light that you really didn't need windshield wipers. The rain was gone after that but the sky was left overcast until mid afternoon when the sun came out. Skies cleared after that. The wind blew out of the northeast to thirty knots until around 9:00 AM. Seas at some of the offshore weather buoys were six to eight feet every six or eight seconds, big chops. The wind started to back off during the late afternoon. By 6:00 PM, there was no wind, the sun was bright, the sky was clear and the visibility was excellent. The highest air temperature that I saw was 72°F. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 77°F with a low of 61°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 75°F (with a low of 55°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 72°F (with a low of 58°F).
Today was a total restaurant day. Business wise, it was a slow day. With limited staff, it was a good break. I left the restaurant at 9:00 PM.
At 5:00 AM EDT/AST the air temperature was 59°F, the sky was clear, the wind was blowing out of the northwest at ten knots and the visibility over the ocean was excellent. Ashore, the wind blew out of the northwest at ten knots with higher gusts in the early part of the morning, backing off a bit by mid morning, very light out of the north by noon and then hauling out of the southwest in the afternoon. The sky was clear all day and the visibility was excellent. The highest air temperature that I saw in Ogunquit was 72°F. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 77°F with a low of 59°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 75°F (with a low of 49°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 72°F (with a low of 53°F).
On the fishing grounds, the wind blew out of the northwest at ten knots. Seas were chops of a foot or two. The wind dropped all day until there was none and the ocean went flat calm. The wind hauled out of the southwest on the ride back to Perkins Cove. The air temperature got up to the low 70°s. The visibility ranged to over thirty miles. The sky was sunny. The tide (current) was light. The surface water temperature reached a high of 66°F.
The fishing was very good; there were many fewer dogfish today and the weather was excellent. The catching was very good. Landings were good to excellent, depending on the angler. Most legal fish landed were pollock, by far. Legal landings also included twenty-five haddock, seventeen redfish, one cusk and eight white hake. Released fish included forty-eight dogfish, six cod of 5 pounds or more, six small cod and one barndoor skate. Drifting was the method. Jigs and cod flies caught the most fish.
Tim Rozan (ME) was the story of the day. He was far and away the high hook with the most legal fish. He caught all the biggest haddock including three haddock of 4 pounds each. He won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish of the trip, a 16 pound pollock. He also caught one of our bigger hake this summer with one that weighed 9 pounds. Don Robichaud (NH) caught the second and third largest fish of the trip. His biggest was a 14 pound barndoor skate, only our third barndoor skate of the season to date and our third largest. His second largest fish, the third largest fish of the trip, was an 11 pound pollock. He also caught a 10 pound pollock.
Other Angler Highlights: John Schultz (NY) caught a double that included a 10 pound pollock and a 6 pound pollock, both fish caught on the same line at the same time. Later, he caught another 10 pound pollock. Liz Wilke (DC) caught largest white hake of the last few weeks weighing in at 10 pounds. Kylee Flint (NH) landed the hard luck of the day award by being the sole hurler of the trip. Ouch!
Tim Rozan did me a solid by donating $60.00 to my cancer fund raising drive with the Pan-Mass Challenge today. Tim has made numerous donations to the cause all season long. Thank you so much, Tim, for your thoughtfulness and generosity. I do very much appreciate your support!
At 5:00 AM EDT/AST the air temperature was 59°F, the sky was crystal clear, a sliver of a moon was hanging above the trees in the eastern horizon, the wind was blowing out of the west at ten knots with higher gusts and the visibility over the ocean was excellent. Ashore, the wind blew out of the northwest at ten knots or so in the morning. By the end of the morning, the wind was dying out. By 2:00 PM, the wind had hauled out of the southwest and was blowing about eight knots. This wind with a little less velocity was the way the day ended. The sky was nearly cloudless all day. Clear and cobalt blue. The visibility was excellent. The highest air temperature that I saw in Perkins Cove was 79°F. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 81°F with a low of 63°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 78°F (with a low of 49°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 76°F (with a low of 53°F).
On the fishing grounds, the wind blew out of the northwest at fifteen to ten knots to start. Seas were sharp chops of two to three feet. The wind dropped as the day progressed. At the last bell, the wind was still out of the northwest but it was light with less than a one foot chop, calm on the ride back to Perkins Cove. The sky was clear and sunny. The tide (current) was moderate. The visibility ranged to well over twenty miles. The air temperature was warm to hot. The surface water temperature reached a high of 65°F.
The fishing could have been good to very good if you didn't consider the dogfish that were caught. The weather was just a little too choppy to be comfortable. With the dogs, I would say that the fishing was fair. The catching and landings were also fair because of the large number of dogfish replacing the fish we would like to see on the hook. Legal landings included twenty pollock, ten haddock, three redfish and five cusk. Released fish included over two hundred dogfish, five cod of 5 pounds or more, four short cod, four short haddock, two blue sharks and a couple small pollock. They tried anchoring but were held captive by the dogfish. Drifting turned out to be the best method of fishing. Everyone used bait, cod flies or a combination of both.
Tony Lomonoco (NY) was high hook with the most legal fish. His largest fish was the third largest fish of the day, a 10.5 pound pollock. Walter Sawicki (CT) won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, an 11.5 pound pollock. Walter also caught the second largest fish, an 11 pound pollock.
Other Angler Highlights: Ivan Douholuk (NH) landed the fourth largest fish of the trip, a 10 pound pollock. Michael Sharpe (ME) was the high hurler of the trip and landed the hard luck award t-shirt for being the best at it.
At 5:00 AM EDT/AST the air temperature was 57°F, the sky had a very thin cloud cover, so thin that some stars could be plainly seen, the wind was light out of the northeast and the visibility over the ocean was excellent. Ashore, by daylight, the sky had become overcast. The sky stayed overcast all day. At times it looked like it was going to rain. But it never did until after sunset. And, then, it was only for a short time. On the weather radar we had rain skirting us all day and never touching us. The morning gave us very light wind out of the north or northeast, no wind and then wind out of the south up to ten knots or more. The visibility was very good in some haze. The highest air temperature that I saw was 70°F. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 74°F with a low of 64°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 69°F (with a low of 50°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 69°F (with a low of 50°F).
On the fishing grounds, the wind was calm to start. Then the wind hauled out of the south southwest and blew up to ten knots or slightly more. Seas were calm to two feet in chops. The air temperature got up to 70°F. The visibility ranged from fifteen to twenty miles. The tide, current, was moderate. The sky was overcast for the whole time period. The surface water temperature reached a high of 65°F.
The fishing was marred, again, by dogfish. So if you included dogfish in your definition of fishing, and you disliked them as much as I do, you would call the fishing just fair. Despite the dogfish, the catching was good to very good, excellent if you, indeed, love dogfish. Landings were good in count, very good for average size. Most legal fish landed were pollock, by far. Legal landings also included eighteen haddock, nine cusk, four whiting and thirty mackerel. Released fish included over two hundred dogfish, four cod of 5 pounds or better, four short haddock, eight small cod, a sculpin and a couple mackerel. Drifting was the method. Jigs and cod flies worked the best.
Dick Grimm (ME) was high hook with the most legal fish. His largest fish was an 11.5 pound pollock. Joe Columbus (MA) was second hook. I don't believe that Ian weighed any of Joe's fish. Jeff Murphy (ME) won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, the healthiest 20 pound pollock I have seen this year so far. It had a very big girth. Maybe a new arrival to the area? This pollock ties for the fifth largest pollock of the Bunny Clark fishing season to date. We have only caught six slammers (pollock of 20 pounds or better) this season so far. Captain Ian took a picture of Jeff holding his fat pollock. This digital image appears on the left. The second largest fish was a 14 pound pollock, caught by Bill Grenier, Jr. (RI). Will Fontaine (VT) caught the third largest fish, a 13 pound pollock. He also caught a pollock that weighed 10 pounds.
Other Angler Highlights: McKinley Murphy (ME) caught a 9.5 pound pollock, his best fish. Ron Covey (VT) caught a pollock that weighed 11.5 pounds. Bill Grenier, Sr. (RI) caught a 10.5 pound pollock. Randy Clark (VT) boated a 10 pound pollock. Stephen Leonardis (NJ) landed the hard luck award for not catching a single legal fish. Of course, we didn't count the dogfish!
At 5:00 AM EDT/AST the air temperature was 65°F, the sky was mostly overcast with clear skies to the east, the wind was blowing lightly out of the southwest and the visibility over the ocean was very good in haze. The wind remained light out of the southwest for most of the morning. By early afternoon, the wind had backed out of the south. But it never blew more than ten knots. The ocean along the shore looked calm all day. The visibility was very good in some haze. The sky was mostly clear except for a passing shower to the north of us with rain that never touched Ogunquit. This happened around 4:00 PM. Clear skies resumed after the shower passed. The highest air temperature that I observed was 81°F. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 84°F with a low of 69°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 80°F (with a low of 55°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 78°F (with a low of 58°F).
I spent the day at the restaurant. It was busy. But it was busy mostly because we were short staffed. Bob & Mel Blanchard worked for us in take-out today. Bob & Mel own Blanchard's and Blanchard's Beach Bar in Anguilla, BWI, in the Caribbean. They were originally from Vermont, have been eating at Barnacle Billy's for years and years and have been good friends of mine since my father introduced me years ago. Their place in Anguilla is famous, as are they. They have written five or six books on various subjects, mostly about island life and food. We have had the Bush family and many famous people eating at our restaurant. But to have famous people work there, priceless! They wouldn't take a cent for working. They just wanted to help us out. We had no one in take out today. Without them we would have been stuck! Thank you so very much for your help and just being with us!
Jodie Walsh (RI) helped me in my fund raising effort in cancer research in partnership with the Pan-Mass Challenge today by donating $25.00. I actually rode with her in two of the events after 2007. A hell of an athlete herself, she has also raised money for the cause. Thank you, Jodie. I appreciate the support!
At 3:00 AM EDT/AST the air temperature was 57°F, the sky was clear, the wind was blowing out of the west southwest at fifteen knots and the visibility over the ocean was excellent.
On the way to the fishing grounds, we had clear skies, excellent visibility, mild temperatures and a beautiful starry sky. We had about fifteen knots of westerly wind on our starboard stern quarter. Seas were chops of two to three feet. On course, the ride was comfortable; a bit rolly when off course.
On the fishing grounds, the wind blew out of the west northwest all morning and part of the afternoon. Fifteen knots at first, the wind kept backing off all day. Seas started at two to three feet in chops but dropped down to nearly calm before the wind backed out of the southwest. The last couple of hours on the grounds was light southwest. The sky was nearly cloudless all day. The air temperature hung around 75°F but it seemed warmer when the wind died..The visibility ranged to thirty miles. The tide (current) was moderate to strong, into the wind in the morning and off the wind in the afternoon.. The surface water temperature reached a high of 65°F..
Ashore, these were the air temperatures in selected New England cities: In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 82°F with a low of 65°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 78°F (with a low of 49°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 76°F (with a low of 54°F).
The fishing was very good. It was a very comfortable day, the dogfish were few and far between and the blue sharks only bothered a few times. The catching was very good. Landings were good to very good. Most legal fish landed were pollock, by far. They seemed to be everywhere I went today. Legal landings also included nineteen haddock, thirty-five redfish, seven cusk and nine white hake. Released fish included seven blue sharks, thirty-one dogfish, sixteen cod over 5 pounds, nine small cod, fifteen sub-legal pollock, five sub-legal redfish, one small cusk and one small barndoor skate. Drifting was the method. Jigs and cod flies caught the most fish by far.
Karl Day (ME) was high hook with the most legal fish. There were actually quite a few anglers who were close to Karl in count. Some of Karl's fish included a 10 pound pollock, a 14 pound pollock, the third largest fish of the trip, an 11.5 pound pollock and two cod of 9 pounds each. He also had five legal haddock. Jeff Corey (MA) won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, a 15 pound pollock. Jeff also caught our forth barndoor skate of the season. It weighed 13 pounds, the smallest of the four. I took a picture of Jeff holding his barndoor skate, his first ever. This digital image appears on the right. Nick Longo (MA) won the boat pool for the second largest fish with the second largest fish, a 14.5 pound pollock. Nick caught this pollock as part of a double that also included an 8 pound pollock. This is the second largest double of the Bunny Clark fishing season to date. Some of Nick's other fish included a 13 pound pollock and a 12 pound pollock.
Other Angler Highlights: Karilyn Bonney (ME) caught a 13 pound pollock and a 12 pound pollock, her two biggest fish. Boo Whitten (ME) caught an 11 pound pollock. I believe that this was her largest fish today. Steve Selmer (NH) was second hook right behind Karl. He had a couple of good sized cod in the 10 pound range that I did not weigh. The two fish I weighed of his were both pollock. One was 10 pounds and the other was 11.5 pounds. I weighed an 8 pound cod for Drew Winnie (NY). Drew's largest fish was a 12.5 pound pollock. Rand Richards (ME) caught the largest cod that I actually weighed. It was 9.5 pounds. His largest fish was a 12 pound pollock. Bob Jones (ME) caught a double that included an 11 pound pollock and a 10.5 pound pollock, our fourth largest double of the fishing season so far. Linda Dubois (ME) caught a 12 pound pollock as her largest fish. Trevor Haynes (ME) landed the hard luck award for getting a wee bit under the weather.
I received a few very much appreciated donations today from anglers sponsoring me in the Pan-Mass Challenge. These wonderful individuals and their donation amounts included: Eric & Rand Richards gave $40.00, Karilyn Bonnie gave $40.00, Boo Whitten gave $25.00, Linda Dubois gave $30.00 and Larry Reed gave $40.00. Thank you all so very much for your support and generosity. It really does mean a lot to me. But it means more to the researchers who are working on this project and even more to those who will benefit! All the best to you all!
At 5:00 AM EDT/AST the air temperature was 57°F, the sky was clear, the wind was blowing out of the west southwest at fifteen knots and the visibility over the ocean was excellent.
On the fishing grounds, the wind blew out of the southwest at about fifteen knots. Seas were two to three feet. Half way through the trip, the wind hauled out of the south and increased a tad. The Isles of Shoals reported twenty-two knots. I would say we had gusts to twenty and seas of two to four feet for the last three hours of the trip. The sky was hazy sunny with a, nearly cloudless sky. The visibility ranged to just under fifteen miles in haze. The tide (current) was light to moderate. The air temperature was in the lower 70s. The surface water temperature reached a high of 63°F.
Ashore, these were the air temperatures in selected New England cities: In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 85°F with a low of 64°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 84°F (with a low of 51°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 76°F (with a low of 54°F).
The fishing was very good in the morning and excellent in the afternoon. There were very few dogfish today, particularly in the morning - which was surprising. The tide let go in the afternoon which made it perfect for anchoring. The catching was good in the morning and excellent in the afternoon. Landings were very good. Most legal fish landed were pollock, by far. Legal landings also included twenty-nine haddock, five cod, seven cusk, two white hake and about ten mackerel. Released fish included four small cod, three sub-legal haddock, a couple small pollock, thirty-five dogfish, a mackerel or two and a couple blue sharks. Drifting and anchoring were the fishing methods employed. Jigs and cod flies caught the most fish. Bait caught the most dogfish. But bait also caught the most haddock.
Marty Buskey (NY) was high hook with the most legal fish. And if he had caught the fish he lost he would have been far and away the high hook of the day. Being a modest man, I know Marty would not have cared if he was high hook or ultra high hook. High hook, I'm sure, was all the designation he wanted. Unfortunately, I witnessed a double that was over 30 pounds where one of the fish he had got off the hook and swam to bottom. I would say that 17 pounds would have been a modest weight for the fish that swam away, undoubtedly the biggest double of the Bunny Clark season so far. I wanted Ian to weight those two fish so badly. But it wasn't to be. Some of Marty's fish included a 12 pound pollock, a 10 pound pollock, a 12 pound cod, the largest cod of the day, and a pollock double that included an 11 pound pollock and a 10 pound pollock, the sixth largest double of the Bunny Clark fishing season so far. It was a good day to be Marty Buskey.
Matt Luce (ME) won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, a 15 pound pollock. He had caught a 12 pound pollock just before that. He also caught another 15 pound pollock caught as a double with another pollock that weighed 10.5 pounds, the Bunny Clark's official largest double of the fishing season to date. He was alone on the bow all day. Matt lost a jig to a blue shark that nearly took all his line until he broke the fish off. He was the Bunny Clark's second hook of the trip. Matt on the bow and Marty on the stern; "Boat Ends"! The third largest fish of the trip was a 13.5 pound pollock caught by Art Green (NY).
Other Angler Highlights: Jake Kiefer (NJ) caught an 8 pound pollock to start off the boat pool. His best catch was a double that included a 10 pound pollock and a 9 pound pollock. Giacomo Sayahi (ME) tied for second hook with Matt Luce. Some of Giacomo's pollock that Ian weighed included an 11.5 pounder, an 11 pounder and a 12 pounder. Some of these pollock came in as doubles. But there was so much going on that both Ian and I had to take estimates as to how big some of Giacomo's doubles really were. He certainly had doubles meeting the 20 pound minimum but I don't believe anything more than that. Apparently, Ian felt as I did; Ian was the weigh master as is the Bunny Clark tradition - the captain weighs all the fish. Vanessa Shea (NH) landed a double that included a 12 pound pollock and an 8 pound pollock. Although we had a few sea sick individuals, Don Hosier (NY) seemed to be the most under the weather. Ian awarded him the hardest luck of the trip t-shirt for his malady. He deserved it. I would not have liked to feel as Don did.
I was sponsored for my role in cancer research with the Pan-Mass Challenge by two of our better anglers today. Marty & Elise Buskey donated $50.00 and Art Green donated $50.00 to the cause. Thank you all so much for your thoughtfulness, generosity and support. I really do appreciate the help.
At 5:00 AM EDT/AST the air temperature was 66°F, the sky was clear, the wind was blowing out of the west southwest at fifteen knots and the visibility over the ocean was excellent. The sky became overcast when I could clearly see the sky. After 7:00 AM, we had periodic very light rain, enough so that the ground didn't get wet until after 9:00 AM. The intermittent light rain showers lasted through until noon. After noon, the rain became more steady. The visibility dropped to poor a couple of times when the fog rolled in. This didn't last. But our best visibility after 10:00 AM would have probably gotten a "good" rating. The wind blew out of the southwest at fifteen knots. The seas weren't huge but there was certainly a surge in the Cove from Hurricane Larry. The highest air temperature that I saw was 70°F. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 76°F with a low of 68°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 69°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 65°F).
My day, of course, was spent at the restaurant. But my day was also spent in bed at times for naps. All this labor shortage and training deck hands with the inclusion of all I have been doing on a normal basis has 1.) kept me off the bike and 2.) has made me tired enough that I can't think straight. Mental fatigue. So Deb made me take frequent naps today. To start off, I slept until 5:00 AM. I never sleep that late. Since I woke up at 2:00 AM, I read a book until 4:00 AM and then slept until 5:00 AM. So it wasn't like I had a good night's sleep. And I have been worrying during the night. This is new. When I go to sleep I usually leave all this behind. For some reason, I have not been doing that. This has been a more challenging season than any I can remember. It's certainly more challenging than last year. But I think that staying at it under adverse conditions, for so long without a break, has had a cumulative effect. My bike has been a great outlet, particularly riding with friends. I have missed the break on the bike. So there you go; a peek into the life of Tim. Stay the course, as George W. once told me. I'm trying.
I did take a ride to Hamilton Marine to pick up gloves and knives for my two new deck hands.
And I did work at the restaurants, on and off, during the day, leaving, finally, at 8:30 PM.
At 5:00 AM EDT/AST the air temperature was 65°F, the sky was clear, the wind was blowing lightly out of the northwest and the visibility over the ocean was excellent. The wind was light all morning and the early part of the morning. During the mid afternoon, the wind hauled out of the northwest and blew up to almost twenty knots. The air temperature by 1:00 PM was 75°F. It was also a bit humid. Three hours later, the air temperature started to drop and was 65°F by 6:30 PM. The sky was sunny all day. The visibility was very good for the most part. There was a short period of fog in the morning that made the visibility poor for a short period of time. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 79°F with a low of 63°F). 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 74°F (with a low of 54°F).
On the fishing grounds, the wind blew out of the northwest at five knots, went calm and then hauled out of the southwest at five knots [They had a choppy ride back from the fishing grounds at the end of the day due to a twenty knots northwest wind they found half way back.]. Seas were calm over a three to four foot long sea swell. The air temperature was warm to mild. The visibility ranged to over twenty miles. The tide (current) was moderate. The sky was a mix of overcast to sunny (later). The surface water temperature reached a high of 66°F.
The fishing was tough again with the large number of dogfish, back to annoy and tangle lines. The weather was nice for fishing but there was a big swell putting baits and jigs alike in the face of the dogfish. I would give a fair rating to the fishing. The catching was very good for most, dogfish for others. Landings were nearly excellent for two anglers, good for most and poor for a couple anglers. Most legal fish landed were pollock, by far. Legal landings also included twenty-seven haddock, five redfish, three cusk, four cod and three white hake. Released fish included over two hundred dogfish, four sub-legal cod, three sub-legal haddock and a couple of small pollock. They drift fished for the day. Cod flies caught the most fish.
Tim Rozan (ME) was far and away the high hook of the trip with twenty-five legal. His largest fish was a 10.5 pound pollock, the second largest fish of the trip. Brian Morrill (ME) won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, a 13.5 pound cod. The third largest fish was a 10 pound cod caught by Wade Ward (ME).
Other Angler Highlights: Tanner McCusker (ME) caught a 9 pound pollock, the fourth largest fish of the trip. Jim Abel (ME) landed the hardest luck of the day award for getting a touch of the mal de mer. Sometimes those sea swells can do a number on a person.
At 5:00 AM EDT/AST the air temperature was 55°F, the sky was cloudless, the wind was blowing out of the west at fifteen knots and the visibility over the ocean was excellent. Ashore, my father would have called this a "111" day, the air temperature, the wind and the sun were all perfect today. The wind blew out of the west at about ten knots, the sky was clear with a bright sun and the highest air temperature that I observed was 73°F in Perkins Cove. The visibility was excellent all day. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 79°F with a low of 59°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 76°F (with a low of 44°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 75°F (with a low of 48°F).
On the fishing grounds, the wind blew out of the west northwest at ten to fifteen knots. Seas were chops of about two feet over long rolling sea swells of about three feet. The air temperature hovered in the high 60°s. The visibility ranged to over twenty miles. The tide (current) was light. The sky was clear and sunny. The surface water temperature reached a high of 63°F.
The fishing was good. Again, it could have been so much better with less dogfish. But the weather kept the fishing from getting high marks as well. The catching was very good as were the landings. Most legal fish landed were pollock, by far. Legal landings also included eighteen haddock, three cod, four cusk and fourteen mackerel. Released fish included one hundred and eleven dogfish, eight sub-legal cod, three sub-legal haddock, a sculpin and a couple mackerel. Drifting was the method. Jigs and cod flies caught the most fish.
Jim Jarvis, Sr. (MA) was high hook with the most legal fish. He tied with Steve Belevre (NH) for the second largest fish of the trip at 14 pounds. Both fish were pollock. Jim also caught a 12 pound pollock and a 10 pound pollock. Steve also caught a 10 pound pollock. Dillon Martins (MA) won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, a 15 pound pollock.
Other Angler Highlights: Ny Nhath (VT) caught a 9.5 pound pollock to start off the boat pool for the day. His leading fish didn't last long. Mike Smith (VT) caught a 12 pound pollock, his best fish. Monica Covey (VT) landed a 12.5 pound pollock. Dominic Nhath (VT) landed the hardest luck of the trip award for being the most vocal hurler.
At 5:00 AM EDT/AST the air temperature was 62°F, the sky was clear, the wind was blowing out of the southwest at fifteen knots and the visibility over the ocean was excellent. Ashore, the wind blew out of the west and then northwest at fifteen to twenty knots. It was a very warm wind with a high air temperature in Perkins Cove, that I saw, of 81°F. However, it wasn't as humid as I would have expected. The sky was mostly clear all day. The visibility was good to very good in thicker haze than I would have expected. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 83°F with a low of 65°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 80°F (with a low of 56°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 79°F (with a low of 60°F).
On the fishing grounds, the wind blew out of the west southwest at fifteen knots, more or less. Seas were chops of three to four feet with a few queer ones thrown in. The tide was running into the wind which made some of the chops a bet steeper than normal. The air temperature was in the high 60°s. The visibility ranged from ten to fifteen miles in haze. The sky was overcast. The tide (current) was moderate. The surface water temperature reached a high of 64°F.
The fishing was fair, marred by the large number of dogfish interfering with the catching of the targeted species. They saw the largest number of dogfish caught on a trip this season so far with an average of over twenty dogfish a person. Granted, dogfish love the west southwest wind more than any wind I know. Added to that was the fishing conditions; the seas could have been much smaller for a better day. The catching and landings were fair to good. Most legal fish landed,again, were pollock. Legal landings also included seventeen haddock, seven cod, eleven good sized redfish, one cusk, eight white hake and eight mackerel. Released fish included about two hundred and fifty dogfish, seven small cod, a 14+ pound cod and a mackerel. They tried anchoring but were instantly held captive by dogfish. So drifting was the method of choice today. Jigs and cod flies caught the most fish.
Ian couldn't tell me who was high hook with the most legal fish. This crew of eleven anglers were very evenly matched in the talent department, all very good fishermen. Andrew Bruyere won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, a 12.5 pound pollock. He caught this as a double with a cod of over 14 pounds, both fish on the same line at the same time. The problem arose when they tried gaffing the two fish as Andrew was fishing in the bow. I guess that they got the gaff in the pollock, first, and in lifting the pollock and trying to get a gaff into the cod, broke the line between the fly and the jig, sending the cod right back to the bottom with the lost jig on it's lip! Certainly, the line was probably weakened by a number of dogfish catches. Not only would the cod have been one of the bigger cod of the year, the catch would have counted as the largest double of the Bunny Clark season as well. Ian also weighed a 10 pound cod for Andrew.
There was a tie for second place with fish, both weighing 11 pounds. One was an 11 pound cod caught by Bob Williams. The other was an 11 pound pollock caught by Greg Mallott.
Other Angler Highlights: Rich Mallott caught a double that included a 10 pound pollock and a 7 pound pollock. His biggest fish was a 10.5 pound pollock. Peter Backus caught an 8.5 pound cod. Pat Gallagher landed the hard luck award for most lost jigs, most tangled lines and getting spined by a dogfish. It wasn't Pat's best day.
At 5:00 AM EDT/AST the air temperature was 68°F, the sky was overcast, it was drizzling rain (and had been raining hard earlier in the morning), the wind was light out of the northwest and the visibility over the ocean was good in precipitation. Ashore, the sky started clearing around 8:00 AM, what was left of the rain headed east and offshore. By 9:00 AM, the sky was perfectly clear. The wind was light out of the east by that time, the ocean along the shore fairly calm. The easterly wind died altogether, the wind went calm (it was flat and glassy on the ocean along the shore) and then hauled out of the southwest. The southwest wind, too, was light. The visibility was very good to excellent overall. The highest air temperature that I saw was 75°F. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 82°F with a low of 66°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 78°F (with a low of 53°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 76°F (with a low of 54°F).
On the fishing grounds, the wind was light and variable in direction. The ocean was calm all day, a beautiful day for humans on the high seas. The air temperature got up over the 70°F mark. It was hot when not under the canopy top. The visibility ranged to over 20 miles. The tide (current) was moderate. The sky was sunny all day. The surface water temperature reached a high of 65°F with the lack of wind.
The fishing was good overall. There were still too many dogfish to consider a better category. The weather, however, was perfect for fishing. The catching, besides the dogfish, and landings were good overall. Most legal fish landed were pollock. Legal landings also included fourteen cod, twenty-seven haddock, two redfish, six cusk, three white hake and thirty mackerel. Released fish included over two hundred dogfish, ten sub-legal cod, five sub-legal haddock, a wolffish, a hundred sub-legal pollock and a mackerel or two. Drifting was the method. Jigs and cod flies worked the best.
Scott Bernado won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, a 15 pound pollock. The second largest fish was a 13.5 pound pollock caught by Becca Vespoli. She also caught a 12 pound pollock, the fourth largest fish of the trip. Morgun Flanagan caught the third largest fish, a 12.5 pound pollock. Morgun also caught the second largest cod at 8.5 pounds.
Other Angler Highlights: "Super Dave" Belanger (VT) caught an 11.5 pound pollock, his biggest fish and the first fish to start the boat pool off and running. Nate Lesage (VT) caught an 11 pound pollock as a follow-up. Bernie Gage caught the largest cod of the day at 9 pounds. Benny Bishop landed the hardest luck of the day award t-shirt by becoming the only sea sick angler on the trip. Ouch!
I received a donation of $30.00 from Bernie Gage sponsoring me in this year's Pan-Mass Challenge. Since cancer never sleeps and the research must continue, I will be funneling donations to the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, Massachusetts until the last bell on December 31, 2021. So if you want to donate to a worthy cause and a team of research scientists in the field of genetic profiling, I am your conduit! Thank you so much, Bernie, for always being thoughtful and generous towards me in this project over the years. Much appreciated!
At 4:00 AM EDT/AST the air temperature was 58°F, the sky was clear, the wind was light out of the northwest and the visibility over the ocean was excellent. The wind continued out of the northwest for the first part of the ride to the fishing grounds. Half way there, the wind was more northerly but the wind velocity was no more than three or four knots. The sky was clear, the air temperature was milder than ashore, the ocean was calm and the visibility remained excellent the whole way.
On the fishing grounds, the wind was north northeast at three or four knots. The tide (current) was strong. The tide was milder later in the day which turned out to be fortuitous for the bite. Seas were calm until the very end of the trip when eight knots of southerly wind gave us a one foot chop. That too died out half way in on the ride home. The sky was mostly sunny all day. The visibility was excellent. The air temperature got up into the low 70°s. The surface water temperature reached a high of 65°F.
Ashore, these were the air temperatures in selected New England cities: In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 73°F with a low of 63°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 75°F (with a low of 48°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 69°F (with a low of 51°F).
The fishing was very good. The tide was the only problem and put us down a category but the dogfish were less and, really, only showed up in numbers when the bite turned on for the last two hours of the trip. The catching overall was good as were the landings. Most legal fish landed were pollock, by far. Also, everyone caught a cod to take home, a first for a trip this season so far. Legal landings also included twenty-six haddock, twenty-four redfish, four white hake and two red hake. Released fish included the dogfish, five cod over 5 pounds, nine short cod, one sub-legal haddock and a few redfish. We drift fished during the very early part of the trip but anchored after that. Jigs and cod flies caught the most fish.
I couldn't tell you who was high hook. There were two small groups of anglers who caught two fish totes full of fish each. But I couldn't tell you who was number one! If I were to guess, I would say that Fran Sweenor caught the most legal fish of the trip. He alone had a tote and a half of fish. Keith House (NY) won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, a 17 pound cod. This is the third largest cod that has been caught on the Bunny Clark this season so far. If someone would have told me thirty years ago that in 2021 the third largest cod caught on the Bunny Clark in mid September was 17 pounds I would have laughed them off the dock. It's so hard to believe that the cod stocks have dipped so low. I took a picture of Keith and his good sized cod. This digital image will appear in the future on this site. Some of Keith's other good fish included a 10 pound cod and an 11 pound pollock. The second largest fish was a 16.25 pound pollock caught by Eric Thielking (MA). He did not enter the boat pool for the second largest fish. Robert "Rob" Alden (NY) won the boat pool for the second largest fish with the third largest fish, a 15 pound pollock. Some of Rob's other good fish included a 10.5 pound pollock and a 10.5 pound cod.
Other Angler Highlights: Sam Sweenor (NY) caught the best cod double of the season today with two cod that weighed 11.5 pounds and 10 pounds. Both had to be released as he already had his one cod. Sam also caught a 12 pound cod. Paul Sweenor (NY), his father, caught a 13 pound pollock, his biggest fish. I also weighed a 10 pound pollock for Paul. I never did weigh his cod that looked to be 10 pounds. Jason Brewin (NJ) caught the second largest cod of the day at 13 pounds. Some of his other fish included a 12 pound pollock, an 11 pound pollock and a 10.5 pound cod. I weighed two fish for Pat Sweenor (NY). One was an 11 pound pollock. The other was an 11 pound cod. John Martin (NY) landed the hardest luck of the day award by being involved in the most tangled lines for the trip!
This turned out to be an ultra special trip as everyone helped during the day, which made it a very special one for me. A special thanks to Stuffy House his expertise at boat handling and to all those who helped me clean the boat on the way in. When we got back in, Captain Ian Keniston was there to help me. Together, we finished cleaning up and put the boat away. The Bunny Clark was the cleanest I have seen it in months!
Stuffy House (NY) did me a solid today by donating $20.00 to my cancer research project with the Pan-Mass Challenge. Thank you very much for your support. And thanks so much today for your help on and off the boat. It seems you are good at everything you set out to do, a guy after my own heart! The donation, too, is much appreciated!
At 5:00 AM EDT/AST the air temperature was 66°F, the sky was overcast, the wind was blowing out of the south at twelve knots and the visibility over the ocean was excellent. The wind blew out of the south or south southwest all day. Wind speeds were about ten knots along the shore until the mid afternoon when we saw wind gusts up to fifteen and twenty knots. For some reason we didn't get the wind that they got offshore. At the end of the day when they were losing the wind, we were gaining. The sky was overcast for most of the morning, a mix of sun and clouds after that. Rain came in around 6:30 PM in the form of a shower line. But the strong wind, rain and lightning predicted were much overblown by the National Weather Service. We got a little hard rain around 7:30 PM and we heard a rumble of thunder but that was about it. We stayed rain free for the rest of the night. The visibility was good to very good in haze. It was humid. The highest air temperature that I saw was 80°F. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 86°F with a low of 68°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 84°F (with a low of 63°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 76°F (with a low of 64°F).
On the fishing grounds, the wind blew out of the south southwest at fifteen knots with higher gusts, dropping to ten knots later in the day. Seas were three to four feet to start, with the occasional queer one. Seas dropped to two and three feet later. The air temperature was close to 70°F. The visibility ranged from ten to fifteen miles in haze. The tide, current, was light. The sky had a thin overcast. The surface water temperature reached a high of 64°F.
The fishing was fair. Dogfish, again, ruled the day. But the weather was also very challenging. When it's choppy like that, it's hard to control the action with your fishing equipment. The catching was very good. Landings were remarkably good. Most legal fish landed were pollock, by far. Legal landings also included twenty haddock, five cod, five cusk, a white hake and forty-five mackerel. Released fish included quite a few small pollock, five sub-legal haddock, one hundred and sixty dogfish, as near as Ian could figure, and a few mackerel. Drifting was the method. Jigs and cod flies caught the most fish.
It was Todd Mallory (NY) day today. As the fisherman of the trip, he was high hook with, by far, the most legal fish and he won the boat pool for the largest fish, a 26.5 pound Maine state trophy pollock. This is the largest pollock that has been caught on the Bunny Clark for two years now. Captain Ian took a picture of Todd and his pollock which will appear somewhere on this website when I get a chance. I would like to replace the halibut picture on the index page. We shall see. Todd also caught the second largest fish, a 17 pound pollock. He did everything but get the "ace", the largest three fish of the trip. That would have been the Bunny Clark hat trick!
The third largest fish was an 11 pound pollock caught by Brandon Robinson (MA).
Other Angler Highlights: Dan Bailey (NY) started off the boat pool with a 10.5 pound pollock. His lead didn't last that long. Peter Griffin (NY) caught the largest cusk we have seen in a while with a 10.5 pounder. Doug Nevison (ME), the self professed fishing machine, landed the hard luck award for losing five jigs, a boat record for one angler for the 2021 Bunny Clark fishing season. Congratulations, killer!
I received two donations today sponsoring my ride in the Pan-Mass Challenge. The first one was from Todd Mallory (NY) for a generous $50.00. The second one was a massively generous $4,000.00 from the Mitchell Family Fund (NH). This is the second largest single donation I have ever received since I started this campaign in 2007. I am now only $400.00 or so away from a grand total of $400,000.00 for the fifteen years I have been involved in raising money for cancer research. Thank you oh so much, Todd and the Mitchell Family. I do so appreciate the help, the support, the generosity, the thoughtfulness and the kindness. It truly makes me feel human.
At 4:00 AM EDT/AST the air temperature was 66°F, the sky was overcast, it was raining, there was no wind to write about and the visibility over the ocean was fair to good in precipitation and haze.
The ride to the fishing grounds was really easy. It rained periodically. But the air temperature ranged from 64°F on deck to 68°F at the helm. T-shirt weather for sure. There was no wind for the first twenty miles; the ocean had a glassy surface over, left over, three foot short swells from the south. The visibility was at least ten miles. Nearing the grounds, we picked up a light northeast wind.
On the fishing grounds, the wind blew out of the northeast to start. Very light at first, we had almost fifteen knots of northeast wind by noon. By 1:00 PM, the wind was already starting to drop. By 3:00 PM, the wind had dropped to light and had already hauled out of the east. There was no wind by the time we were just a few miles outside of Perkins Cove headed home. Seas were probably two to three feet in chops at the height of the wind around noon. The air temperature dropped to around 63°F during the wind but came back a bit after the wind drop .The visibility ranged to thirty miles. The tide (current) was moderate. The sky was overcast to start but cleared up when the wind started to die out. The surface water temperature reached a high of 65°F..
Ashore, these were the air temperatures in selected New England cities: In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 75°F with a low of 65°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 72°F (with a low of 58°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 69°F (with a low of 55°F).
I think the fishing could have been really good. The dogfish weren't many and the weather didn't bother anyone, except mildly for one angler. However, the tangles were horrendous, the reason being that everyone had their own equipment, their own way of making up terminal gear and all with dissimilar weights at the end of their lines. I wasn't smart enough to figure out where each angler should be to make it better. But I also didn't want anglers to feel that they had to move out of their chosen spots in order to make it better for everyone. So I kept everything the way it was except that I eliminated the three hook rigs and made them only two.
The catching and landings were good overall, slow in the morning and very good in the afternoon - an afternoon bite for the second marathon trip in a row. Most legal fish landed were pollock, by far. Legal landings also included eleven haddock, six cod, thirteen redfish, four cusk, a white hake and two mackerel. Released fish included twenty-four dogfish, seven sub-legal cod, one sub-legal haddock, thirteen sub-legal pollock, four sub-legal redfish and a blue shark that we never could have got close enough to the boat to land or release. We anchored and drift fished. Drifting was the most productive. Jigs and cod flies caught the most fish.
I couldn't tell you who was high hook with the most legal fish. I would like to say it was Bob Vogel but Bob was tangle free up in the bow isolated with two of his friends who were always in plain view. The good fishermen in the stern were hard to discern because so much was going on back there. It could have easily been one of the Schetter Family but I couldn't have known unless the fish were marked separately, which they were not. Bob won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, a 15.25 pound pollock. Some of the other fish of his that I weighed included a 13.5 pound pollock and a 12 pound pollock.
The second largest fish was a 14.5 pound pollock caught by Anthony Schetter. I was impressed by Anthony and Chris Schetter. Four anglers shared the third largest fish designation, all with a 14 pound pollock each. These anglers included Chip Olszewski, George Delahay, Senator Tony Mazziotti (D-NY) and Ray Frazier. Chip also caught a 12 pound pollock earlier in the trip. George caught his 14 pound pollock as part of a double that also included a 12 pound pollock, both fish caught on the same line at the same time. This is the largest double of the Bunny Clark fishing season to date by a half pound. Tony had caught a couple of pollock of 10 pound each before he caught the 14 pounder. Ray was considered the best looking angler on the boat!
Other Angler Highlights: Dave Degraw started the boat pool off with a 7 pound pollock early in the trip. This fish didn't stay long in the running. Chris Schetter pushed ahead of Dave with a 9 pound pollock. Later, everyone caught many fish over 9 pounds, including Chris. John Spignardo caught a 13 pound pollock that was part of a double with another pollock that looked even bigger! That fish got off the hook. We never were able to retrieve that fish. I had weighed an 11.5 pound pollock for John earlier. Mike Schetter caught the largest cod of the day, weighing 12 pounds. I weighed two fish for Ed Vross. One was a 12 pound pollock. The other was a 13 pound pollock. Mike Hall caught a 12 pound pollock, his biggest fish. Bob Bready landed a 10 pound pollock and an 11 pound pollock. He may have caught a bigger pollock that I didn't weigh. I weighed an 11 pound pollock for John Mazza. Frank Spignardo didn't get sick but he was the only one who felt that way after a trip down into the forecastle. He was a bit green around the gills when he came back out of the cabin. For this Frank landed the hard luck award t-shirt. He caught fish too. One of his pollock weighed 10.5 pounds.
In an attempt to get David Girard further ahead and show him the system for getting the boat cleaned on the ride home, I helped him fillet the last two boxes of fish. In so doing, I had Chris Olszewski steer the Bunny Clark home. He was kind enough to offer and to do a great job. He owns a Grady White which is a hell of a boat in itself. After watching him for about two seconds, it was obvious that this guy new what he was doing. With complete confidence I went back to help David with the fish and help him get the boat ready for another day tomorrow. Thanks, Chris. I very much appreciated your help today.
Bob Bready (pronounced Tom Brady) passed a ten dollar bill to me for it's inclusion in the Jimmy Fund through my affiliation with the Pan-Mass Challenge today. Thanks so much, Tom. I really do appreciate the support!
At 5:00 AM EDT/AST the air temperature was 58°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. The wind never did get over ten knots. The sky stayed overcast all day. Later in the afternoon, we had a, sort of, misting rain. This was intermittent enough that it only got the road wet once and not nearly enough to create a puddle. This happened after dark as well. The visibility was very good in some haze. The highest air temperature that I saw was 68°F. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 70°F with a low of 65°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 70°F (with a low of 53°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 67°F (with a low of 53°F).
On the fishing grounds, the wind blew out of the east northeast at ten to fifteen knots and then diminished on the ride back to Perkins Cove. Seas were chops of two feet with the occasional three footer, very similar to yesterday's chop in the strongest wind of the day. The air temperature was mid 60s. The sky was overcast. The visibility ranged from fifteen to twenty miles. The tide (current) was moderate. The surface water temperature reached a high of 64°F.
The fishing was mired with dogfish yet again. The fishing couldn't struggle above the good category because of this and the period of choppy weather. The catching and landings were fair to good overall, slow at times and very good at other times. Most legal fish landed were pollock again. There seem to be a few around. Legal landings also included twenty haddock, ten cod, four redfish, six cusk, six whiting, thirty mackerel and a monkfish. Released fish included over two hundred dogfish, sixteen short cod, twelve sub-legal haddock, a few small pollock and a mackerel or two. Drifting was the method. Jigs and cod flies caught the most fish.
Joe Columbus (MA), Tim Rozan (ME) and Jack Judge (CT/ME) all shared high hook status with twelve or thirteen legal fish each. Jack Judge and Tim Rozan shared in the second largest fish of the trip, both with fish of 12 pounds. Tim's was a 12 pound pollock. Jack's was a 12 pound cod. Kendall Cobb (VT) won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, a 15 pound cod. This is the Bunny Clark's fifth largest cod of the fishing season to date.
Other Angler Highlights: Arnie Ulrich (NJ) caught an 11.5 pound cod. Colin Cunningham (NY) caught a 10.5 pound cod. Steve Schecter (NY) landed the hard luck award for being the most sea sick of the anglers aboard today. There weren't many anglers who were sick. But, as anyone knows, even one is too many.
I received two donations sponsoring me in the Pan-Mass Challenge today, a cycling event that took place earlier this year, where I raise money for cancer research. Joe Columbus gave me another generous $50.00 while Carl Bruger (NJ) gave $25.00. Thank you both so very much for your support and generosity. It means so much to me but more to those who need the funding for cancer research and, of course, those with the disease.
At 5:00 AM EDT/AST the air temperature was 63°F, the sky was overcast, the wind was blowing out of the north at eight knots and the visibility over the ocean was fair in haze and fog. Ashore, the wind kept blowing out of the north or northeast very lightly. It was foggy for most of the morning, the fog clearing out along the shore by 10:30 AM. The ocean along the shore was calm. We had overcast skies until about 2:00 PM, when the sky cleared and the sun came out. It was absolutely beautiful at that time. The wind let go altogether about that time. By 4:00 PM, the wind had hauled out of the southeast and fog crept in on to the land again. The sky become overcast as a direct result of the fog. The fog stayed with us for the rest of the night. The visibility was never good today. The air temperature reached a high of 70°F - no doubt, a decrease due to the fog so prevalent in Perkins Cove today. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 74°F with a low of 66°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 81°F (with a low of 63°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 76°F (with a low of 61°F).
On the fishing grounds, the wind blew out of the north northeast at barely any velocity. The ocean surface was calm over rolling sea swells of two to three feet. This remained the wind theme of the day. The air temperature rose to the mid 60s. The visibility ranged to a quarter of a mile in fog. They remained in the fog all day. The tide (current) was light. The sky was overcast all day. The surface water temperature reached a high of 64°F.
The fishing was very good today. The weather cooperated and there were very few dogfish. The catching was very good. Landings were good. The fish, although mostly legal, were small today. Most legal fish landed were haddock. There were only four haddock that were too small to keep, a very small percentage of the haddock brought to the boat. legal landings also included twenty-eight pollock, nineteen cod, two redfish, six cusk, a white hake and twenty-five mackerel. Released fish included twelve small cod, a few sub-legal pollock, forty dogfish and a few mackerel. Two blue sharks were hooked, breaking the line of the anglers who hooked them. Drifting was the method. Flies caught the most fish.
Ian couldn't discern who was high hook with the most legal fish. David Sapiel won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, a 9 pound cod. The second largest fish was a 7 pound pollock caught by Ethan Chambers. I believe that the third largest fish was a 6 pound white hake but Ian couldn't tell me the name of the angler. T. J. Clark landed the hard luck award for being the high hurler of the trip. He was the only angler to get sea sick today!
At 5:00 AM EDT/AST the air temperature was 59°F, the sky was mostly clear, the wind was blowing out of the north at eighteen knots (more or less) and the visibility over the ocean was excellent. Ahshore, it felt like a warm fall day. The wind blew out of the northeast at fifteen to twenty knots in the early part of the morning and slowly petered out all day. By 5:00 PM, there was no wind at all. The sky was cloudless all day. The visibility was excellent. The highest air temperature that I saw in Perkins Cove was 72°F. I know it was probably higher inland away from the wind off the water. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 72°F with a low of 62°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 75°F (with a low of 50°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 71°F (with a low of 51°F).
On the fishing grounds, the wind blew out of the northeast at fifteen to twenty knots to start. Seas were four to six feet, steep chops, in the first hour. The wind kept dropping with seas following in chops of three to five feet, two to three and one to two feet. There was very little wind for the ride home. The sky was cloudless. The air temperature was in the 60s. The visibility ranged to over twenty miles. The tide (current) was moderate. The surface water temperature reached a high of 63°F.
The fishing was fair in the bigger than normal seas. There were very few dogfish, so they were not a factor with the fishing. The catching was very good. Landings were good, overall. Most legal fish landed were pollock, by far. Legal landings also included ten cod, nine haddock and two cusk. Released fish included twelve dogfish, six sub-legal cod, two sub-legal haddock, a smattering of small pollock, two blue sharks and a sculpin. They anchored and drift fished as the weather permitted. Jigs and cod flies caught the most fish.
Nilton Pechejosvski (MA) was high hook with the most legal fish. His largest fish was a 10 pound pollock, a tie with two other anglers for the second largest fish of the trip. Brian Hagedorn (NY) won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, a 16.5 pound cod. This cod is the Bunny Clark's fourth largest cod of the fishing season so far. The other two anglers who tied for second place (second largest fish) were Rory Casey (VT) with a 10 pound cod and Brian Hagedorn with a 10 pound pollock.
Other Angler Highlights: Janet Adamczak (ME) landed the hard luck award for getting a touch of the mal de mer and for getting, most frequently, in tangles.
At 5:00 AM EDT/AST the air temperature was 52°F, the sky was clear with a full moon setting through the trees on the western side of the property, the wind was light out of the north and the visibility over the ocean was excellent.
We had a light northerly wind on the ride to the fishing grounds. Seas might have been a foot in height. Small chops. The air temperature was on the cool side of mild. The sky was clear. The ride was easy.
By the time we had reached the fishing grounds, the wind had already hauled out of the northeast. Again, the wind might have been five knots at most. Seas were chops of about a foot. The air temperature hovered around a high of 68°F but it seemed warmer in the sun. The sky was a hazy clear. The visibility ranged to at least twenty-five miles. The tide (current) was moderate and strong into the wind during the last hour of fish. The wind had hauled out of the southeast by then. The surface water temperature reached a high of 63°F..
Ashore, these were the air temperatures in selected New England cities: In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 72°F with a low of 57°F). 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 67°F (with a low of 47°F).
The fishing was very good, the dogfish and the tide being the only fishing problem today. But the dogs weren't really bad, just bad enough to keep the fishing below the category of excellent. The current was only bad after noon. The catching was good to very good as were the landings. Most legal fish landed were pollock, by far. Everyone went home with their cod today. We ended up releasing more than ten cod of 5 to 11 pounds because we had our limit. Legal landings also included twenty-five haddock, thirty-one cusk, six redfish and the cod. Released fish, besides the cod mentioned above, included seven sub-legal haddock, fifteen sub-legal pollock, seventeen sub-legal cod, forty-five dogfish and one blue shark that took a jig in the process. We drift fished all day. Jigs and cod flies caught the most fish.
I couldn't tell you who was high hook with the most legal fish. Nor could Ian. Rich Morrell (ME) won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, an 18 pound pollock. The largest pollock he has ever caught was only a pound larger. Rich was the first one to lead the boat pool with a 9.5 pound pollock, early in the trip. He also caught a 13 pound pollock and a double that included a 15 pound pollock and an 11.5 pound pollock, both fish caught on the same line at the same time. This double ties for the largest double of the fishing season to date. The 15 pound pollock was the third largest fish of the trip. Bill "Bruce" Kelson (MA) caught the second largest fish, a 16 pound pollock. Eat your heart out, Rick Gurney! Bill also caught the largest cod of the day at 14 pounds.
Other Angler Highlights: Gary Holt (VT) caught an 11 pound pollock and a 10 pound pollock that I weighed. He might have caught a bigger pollock that I didn't weigh but it didn't weigh over 12 pounds. He was the angler who lost a jig to, what we thought was, a blue shark. We thought it might have been a halibut until the line broke. When we got the leader line back, you could see that it was chaffed by the back of some shark. Jonathan Griffin (MA) caught the fourth largest fish, a 14 pound pollock. He also caught the largest cusk of the day at 10.5 pounds. Dawel Huang (NY) caught a 10.75 pound cod, his biggest fish. I know that he also caught five haddock. Rick Gelaznik (MA) caught the second largest cusk of the day at 10 pounds. Hibbard Doe (VT) caught a double that included a 10.75 pound pollock and a 12 pound pollock. This is our fifth largest double of the fishing season so far. Jeff Beaudoin (ME) caught a 12 pound pollock, an 11 pound pollock, a thirteen pound pollock and two cod of 10 pounds each. He released one of the 10 pound cod back to the ocean alive. Chris Tankred (OH) caught the second largest cod of the day at 12 pounds. He also caught a 12 pound pollock and two cod of 10 pounds each. He released all his cod except for the biggest one. Gina Brooks (VT) landed the hard luck award for catching the most dogfish. She also caught two pollock of 10 pounds each, her two biggest fish.
I received two gifts from two anglers sponsoring me in my cancer fund raising project with the Pan-Mass Challenge today. One donation was $20.00 from Gary Holt who has been fishing with me for many years. I very much appreciated having him on the boat today. The other was a generous $50.00 donation from Bill Kelson. Thank you both so very much for the support you give me and the thoughtfulness you show. I do so very much appreciate your help.
At 4:00 AM EDT/AST the air temperature was 53°F, the sky was clear, the wind was blowing out of the south at eight knots and the visibility over the ocean was excellent.
The ride to the fishing grounds was a bit different as the wind was enough out of the south to give us some spray across the stern. The wind might have been blowing out of the south at ten knots or less with seas of one to nearly two feet. Half way to the grounds, the wind started to back off. The sky was clear and the air temperature was on the cool side of mild. The visibility was very good.
On the grounds, we had hardly any wind at all, the southerly wind we had on the ride out had died. For the rest of the day we had light southerly wind that went calm and then backed out of the southeast. We never had any wind over five knots. The ocean was calm for the trip. The air temperature rose to 70°F in the shade. It was certainly warmer than that on deck in the sun. The sky stayed clear all day. The visibility got less as the day progressed. Where we had over twenty-five miles in the morning we had less than fifteen miles of visibility in the afternoon due to the haze. The tide (current) was moderate to strong and, mostly, into what wind we did have. The surface water temperature reached a high of nearly 65°F.
Ashore, these were the air temperatures in selected New England cities: In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 73°F with a low of 57°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 74°F (with a low of 46°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 68°F (with a low of 47°F).
The fishing was very good overall. The weather was perfect, the drift was a little dicey and we lost more jigs to blue sharks than any trip I have attended this season so far. The dogfish were not a factor today, I'm very happy to write. The catching and landings were very good overall. Most legal fish landed were pollock, by far. Legal landings also included twenty-nine haddock, thirteen cod, nineteen redfish, six cusk and sixteen white hake. The white hake were mostly small but we did get a couple larger ones drifting off the edge. Although these hake were not huge, they were bigger than we have seen for a couple months. Released fish included twelve blue sharks (along with the associated jigs on each one), eleven dogfish, ten legal cod, eighteen sub-legal cod, five sub-legal haddock, a few small pollock and two long horn sculpins. We drift fished all day. Jigs and flies caught all the fish today.
Note: The way we run the cod possession regulation on the Bunny Clark allows an angler to be able to keep one cod. If that angler catches a legal cod, that person has to make the decision to keep it or release it alive. If it looks like it will die (maybe it was hooked in a vital part of the fish), the fish is kept anyway. Or, the angler can give it to someone who wants one. Once that person is in possession of that cod, that angler is not allowed to keep another. We usually catch more legal cod on a marathon trip - if I am doing my job - than we can keep, most of those fish going back alive because the angler wants to take home a bigger one. We have no high-grading with cod on the Bunny Clark. In other words, we don't throw someone's dead cod overboard that the angler has kept in favor of a bigger cod that the angler caught later in the trip.
I could not tell you whom was high hook today. I know it was one of the Pittsfield crew but I don't know which one, as all three were pooling their fish under one number. David Macklin (MA) won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, a 32.5 pound barndoor skate. This is the fourth largest barndoor skate that has ever been caught on the Bunny Clark. I took a picture of David holding this skate before it was released back to the ocean alive. This digital image appears on the left. This is the first and only barndoor skate that David has ever caught. I believe it's only the fifty-first barndoor skate that has been caught on one of my boats since I started taking anglers in 1975.
Ray Westermann (MA) won the boat pool for the second largest fish with the second largest fish, a 26.5 pound Maine state trophy white hake. This is the largest white hake we have caught since mid July. The third largest fish was a 23 pound white hake caught by Erik Grove (ME). Erik also caught another hake of 15.25 pounds and the largest pollock of the trip at 15.5 pounds.
Other Angler Highlights: Stan Johnson (MA) caught the fourth largest fish, a 17.5 pound white hake. Rick Gelaznik (MA) caught number five, a 17 pound white hake. Rick also caught a 13 pound white hake and a 14 pound pollock. Patrick Allen (CT) caught a 10 pound white hake. I believe he also caught some pollock that were bigger but we were catching so many pollock over 10 pounds that I stopped weighing them early in the trip. I believe that Patrick hooked the most haddock of the trip both lost, legal and sub-legal, all with a jig. Chris Tankred (OH) landed a 13.5 pound white hake, a 12 pound pollock and a 14 pound pollock, the only fish of his that I weighed. Jeff Reisdorf (NY) caught a 12 pound pollock, his biggest fish. Kevin Zimmerman (ME) caught the second largest pollock of the trip at 15 pounds. Lavern Zimmerman (KY) caught a 12 pound pollock, his largest fish. His son, eleven year old James-Ray Zimmerman (KY) , caught the largest cod of the trip at 12.5 pounds. The cod was so perfect, I had to take a picture of is with James-Ray holding it. This digital image appears on the right with his father, Lavern, smiling in the background.
I received two donations sponsoring me in the Pan-Mass Challenge today. One was an anonymous donation of $20.00. The other was a $25.00 donation from Patrick Allen. Thank you both so very much for your support and thoughtfulness. Much appreciated!
At 5:00 AM EDT/AST the air temperature was 65°F, the sky was clear, the wind was blowing out of the south at eight knots and the visibility over the ocean was excellent. Ashore, the wind continued out of the south for most of the morning at less than ten knots and over ten knots before noon. The afternoon gave us south southeast wind of about fifteen knots. At times the sky was partly cloudy. At times the sky was overcast. The overcast skies came after noon. But there were partly cloudy skies after noon as well. There were two times with the overcast conditions that it was misting. It seemed like the mist was going to turn to rain but this never happened. The mist just disappeared. It never did rain. The visibility dropped to fair to good at times. Mostly the visibility was good. The highest air temperature that I saw was 73°F. And it was humid, making it feel like a nice, mostly cloudy, summer day. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 80°F with a low of 66°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 77°F (with a low of 59°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 72°F (with a low of 61°F).
I spent most of the day working at the restaurants and, while there, working on getting a second deckhand. Little did I know at the time that I wouldn't have the deckhand for tomorrow's trip. I interviewed a new guy who has sailing experience and seems good. The plan is to have him out with Captain Ian Keniston and I so we can see if he wants to work for us. Between the deckhand thing and all the office time I missed in the restaurant during the last few days, I did spend most of my time in the office trying to catch up. I missed seeing some of the regular patrons I like to talk to on this day.
In the morning I went to pick up my repaired truck that had been repaired and was on site at Brown's Service Center in Moody (the town between Ogunquit and Wells - Moody is actually part of Wells as Ogunquit used to be - and still should be). I had lent a previous deckhand the truck the day before last Thursday's marathon trip because he didn't have a car only to have him hit a rock that destroyed the two right hand tires and wheels. He left it on the side of Route 1 in Ogunquit and didn't tell me or Deb about it. Meanwhile, he was supposed to be on that trip and didn't show up. That was why I went without a deck hand that day. Luckily I didn't find out about the truck until I got in after that day. Marc Brown has been very good to me over the years, this episode being no exception. He went out of his way to get my truck fixed and back in service before anyone else, knowing it was my utility vehicle for work.
So ended another challenging day filled with more questions than answers about the future.
At 5:00 AM EDT/AST the air temperature was 65°F, the sky was sixty percent cloudy, the wind was blowing out of the south at eight knots and the visibility over the ocean was good to very good. More later.
At this time, we are still in need of another deck hand. The work is tough but rewarding. If interested you can call 207-646-2214.
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