June 10th & June 11th Fishing Reports

Friday June 10, 2016  Marathon Mania

It was a bumpy ride to the fishing grounds this morning. It stayed that way until late morning when the wind backed off and the ocean settled down. After that, it was a beautiful day to be on the water. The fishing was terrific from start to finish.

Most fish caught today were haddock, we came within 10 fish of reaching our boat limit for the day with many anglers getting their personal limit. That’s over 300 haddock on the boat!  If this were August, we would have easily captured our cod bag limit as well, but all cod were released for another day. Sprinkle in some cusk and pollock to round out the keeper catch. We anchored most of the day, but finished with a long drift that produced from start to finish. We had to spend some time outside the harbor to complete our fish cutting and processing before docking.

It appears a new body of fish have invaded our fishing grounds with many more haddock in the 4-6lb category, which is a good thing. One keeper for every throw back is the best ratio we have had this year.haddockgroup haddock61016

Hi, this is Mike Rivette, here are some pics from our 6-10 trip, the Odog fishing club had a great time! Thanks for the enjoyable trip.
Mike

Saturday June 11, 2016

Today we played host to a private full day charter. The fishing was very good most of the day with a little dry spell during mid day. The weather was calm in the morning, late morning the clouds started to approach and by the time we headed home, the wind kicked up out of the south 15-20 knots with white caps slowly forming.

Most fish caught were haddock, with cod coming in a close second. We had some nice cusk and pollock appear as well. The big fish for the day was a nice 10 lb cusk. High hook had 12 keepers, with most getting 4-6 keepers. Dog fish chased us from a couple fishing spots as the big females have made their way to the fishing grounds. It is that time of year.

Available trips for this week:

Wednesday, June 15th – 3/4 Day Trip     7am – 1pm
Thursday, June 16th –    All Day Trip       6am – 3pm
Saturday, June 18th –    3/4 Day Trip      7am – 1pm

For reservations, please call 978 559 1978.

From the Deck of the Lady Sea
Captain Mike & Crew

 

 

 

 

Weekend Wrap-Up Fishing Reports

Saturday June 4, 2016, Mixed Bag Event

Today we hosted a mix of a charter and open boat trip with many of our regulars in attendance. We left the dock under cloud covered skies with light mist. As we headed out past Ten Pound island and the breakwater, the fog engulfed us and we carried that to the fishing grounds. We met a 2-3 ft easterly swell that we banged through to the fishing grounds. On the fishing grounds, we had mostly foggy conditions, flat calm seas, the sun tried to show through the fog and it did from time to time.

The fishing was a mixed bag of good to very good with a variety of fish at every stop. We did some exploration in the morning to different parts of the bank, unfortunately we came across some ‘ghost gear’ at our first couple stops that made it challenging, though we were able to pick a few fish off those spots. The catch included cod up to 18 lbs, a good number of haddock with 1 legal fish for every 3 sub legal fish that we caught today, a couple cusk and 5 keeper pollock, the most keepers of pollock this year. If you didn’t hear, Andy caught a pollock today, a solid 5 lb pollock, about half the size of the pool winning 10 lb pollock, but if you didn’t hear, Andy wants everyone to know he caught a Pollock along with some nice haddock. Only a handful of dog fish today, which is a good thing.june54

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The ride back to the dock was uneventful with foggy conditions all the way back to the breakwater and the same 2-3 ft. swell carrying us home. A very nice day of fishing aboard the Lady Sea.

Sunday June 5th, 2016

Our first 3/4 day open bot trip left the dock under muggy, mostly skies. Driving into the fog, it was chilly with calm seas. When we returned to the dock, the sea breeze made it very chilly.

The fishing was good, we had a good ix of fish, most fish were cod which were returned to the ocean and a number of haddock and few small Pollock. We have not spent much time on the inshore grounds to figure what is really going on, but still a very good trip. A 6 lb haddock with shoulders was the largest fish though there was no boat pool due to lack of interest. A couple dog fish and a small wolf fish round out the catch.

This week we are looking to fill the following trips…..

Wednesday, June 8th, Half Day Fishing  1:30pm – 6pm
Thursday,  June 9th, All Day Fishing 7am – 4pm
Friday, June 10th, MARATHON TRIP 5AM – 5PM
Sunday, June 12th, 3/4 Day Fishing 7am – 1pm
Sunday, June 12th, Half Day Fishing 1:30pm-6pm

Please call 978 559 1978 for reservations. 

From the Deck of the Lady Sea
Captain Mike & Crew

 

 

Saturday May 28, 2016 Fishing Report

Saturday May 28, 2016

3/4 Day Charter 

Once again, we entertained a private school from Vermont on a 3/4 day trip. This is our first 3/4 day trip of the year. We got off to a late start, something about a wheel barrow in the road on the ride to Gloucester.

IMG_0030IMG_0032 IMG_0031 IMG_0029(1)We arrived at the fishing grounds during slack tide under beautiful sunny skies and calm seas. The fishing was a slow pick for the first 2 stops, the final stop was very good. We caught many cod at all stops, probably would have limited out under August rules, but we were able to keep a bunch of red fish, haddock, and a cusk to send them home with a decent catch.

Hope to see you all again next year.  Have a great summer!

From the Deck of the Lady Sea
Captain Mike & Crew

 

Weekend Wrap – Up May 19th – 21st, 2016

Thursday – May 19th, 2016 Memorial Service

The Lady Sea has the pleasure of doing a Burial at Sea for the family of Russell and Terri Hachey.  The weather cooperated.  The sky was blue and the wind calm.  There were over 40 family members attending this special event.

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Here is a picture of what happened after the ashes were put in the water.

In their own words,”It was pretty amazing”.

 

 

 

 

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Friday – May 20th, 2016,   OPEN BOAT FISHING

Full boat today, 40 anglers headed to the fishing grounds under perfect weather conditions. The fishing was very good all day for everyone that heeded our advice to change your bait frequently. Yes, it’s extra work to reel it in, but those putting the effort in, are usually rewarded with more fish. We had the full variety of fish today, many cod in the 8-12 lb range which were released, a steady pick of haddock of all sizes with a much better ratio of keepers to shorts than past trips, some big redfish have appeared this week on the fishing grounds, more cusk are being caught, a 12 lb wolf fish was caught and released, and a 10 lb pollock our largest  of the season won the boat pool.

 

 

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Saturday – May 21st, 2019,  ALL DAY CHARTER

Saturday was a beautiful day on the water, with just around 8 knots of westerly wind and a whole lot of sunshine.  We had a private bachelor party aboard the Lady Sea, with only 15 guys who wanted to drink a few beers and catch some fish. Because of the light winds, we started our day off drifting in 220 ft of water on Tillies ledge. The fish started biting almost instantly, and we stayed with the same drift for almost 2 hours, catching fish the whole time. We never left that spot, making 2 more drifts and pulling up a mix of nice haddock, cusk and pollock. We also caught some really nice codfish, that I’m pleased to say, swam away unharmed after we released them.  It was one of the best days yet this year.

As our May special of $56 per person for all day fishing winds down, we have space available on the following trips……

Friday May 27th
Sunday, May 29th
Monday, Memorial Day, May 30th

Please call us at 978 559 1978 to make your reservations.  Spots are going FAST!

From the Deck of the Lady Sea
Captain Mike & Crew

 

Saturday May 14, 2016, Marathon Saturday

Saturday May 14, 2016, Marathon Saturday

We left the dock under clear skies and a little westerly breeze. The marathon allows us to do a bunch of different things, check different places. We started at a place we have not visited in 4 years and ended in more familiar territory.

IMG_0011(1)IMG_0012On the fishing grounds we had 1-2 foot seas, the sun was shining on one side of the boat, chilly on the no sun side of the boat. Eventually, it warmed up to t-shirt weather, light winds and no current. Really, it was perfect fishing conditions. We anchored for the first stop then drifted for most of the day the last couple stops were anchor stops as the wind picked up.

We caught fish everywhere we went. The number of small haddock around is crazy. We had so many 15″ to 16″ haddock. If this was August, we would have easily landed our boat limit on 24″+ cod, including one that push 18 lbs caught by ‘Hammer”. We caught so many cod, I heard a duo on the bow that had 70 cod. We also caught some small Pollock, some of our best cusk or the year, our first two wolfish of the year, and a few dog fish too.

IMG_0013The pool winner was easily determined with a 12lb cusk caught by Mike. We call him “Rasta Mike” do to his dred lock and his association with one of our irregular regulars. YUP! when it was all done, it was a great day to be on the ocean. Andy, is still talking about nothing? What is it with these tin can sailors?

From the Deck of the Lady Sea
Captain Mike & Crew

 

Saturday May 7, 2016 – All Day Trip

Saturday May 7, 2016 All Day Trip

Sorry for the late report, technical difficulties.

We left the dock today, a little late due to the extreme low tide and lack of water under the boat. We had heavy fog all day which makes everything just a little more difficult. Slight breeze from the north stayed with us all day, cold hands were the common among those that stayed at the rail. Once we passed the breakwater, we found seas 4 to 5 foot in a long rolling swell. With the fog and the ocean, a perfect recipe for sea sickness for those not on the ocean every week. About 1/3rd of the anglers suffered from the mal de mer today. May is tough, forecast for land was upper 50s, with ocean temps in the upper 40s along with wind and sea…..the Gulf of Maine just isn’t the same.

The sounding machine was offering plenty of life on the ocean bottom, but the catching results were not so positive. Jigs only snagged fish and bait was a very slow pick. A number of fishermen did not wet a line today which negatively impacted our catch today. We had a number of regulars, people that catch fish in any condition, that struggled today to get a bite. Pool winner was a 4 lb haddock.

We have better days ahead, much to the crew and anglers delight. From reading other fishing reports, we were not alone, it was just one of those days, bad weather, bad catching.

From the Deck of the Lady Sea
Captain Mike & Crew

OPENING DAY FISHING REPORT

Opening Day, Sunday, May 1st, 2016

Yes, 2016 fishing season has started. The new regulations say 15 haddock per person at 17″ or larger, and August 1 to end of September, 1 cod per person at 24″ of larger. Today’s trip was great, not a limit trip by any means, but for the first trip of the year, it was very successful.

Contrary to many weather forecasts, the sun was with us until late morning and was very pleasant. After about 11 am, the clouds took over, air temperature dropped, wind picked up a little and we had a 2-3 foot chop, which a few found uncomfortable for their stomach contents.

The fishing was pretty good, a steady pick of haddock. We battled the current during the morning. We released many small cod, pollock, but got some very good size haddock and cusk. The pool winner was a cusk of 5 to 6 pounds. We had many ‘regular’ or ‘irregular’ anglers depending how you look at it, aboard today. The laughs and comradery with these people make it enjoyable for all. There was not much surface life today in terms of whale activity or other ocean creatures, but we did see some bait fish around, so it could break open any day!

From The Deck of the Lady Sea
Captain Mike & Crew

 

September 19th, 2015 Fishing Report

Saturday, September 19th, 2015 Fishing Report

Another beautiful day aboard the Lady Sea. Smooth sailing conditions under foggy skies. The fishing and catching was terrific from start to finish. We would have had our haddock bag limit by 10 am if we were permitted to keep them. We had 20 anglers aboard and in total, landed close to 300 fish that once upon a time would have been keepers. If you are into catch and release, it couldn’t have been any better. The first fish caught was a nice 8 lb cod. Unfortunately, the regulations are such that we cannot keep cod and haddock. So for keepers, we had a few Pollock, a couple white hake, a couple mackerel, and a pool winning cusk.

Our next trip is Saturday, September 26th, for a  half day and 3/4 day trip.  Please call us at 978 559 1978 to make your reservations.  Still some great days left on the water.

From the Deck of the Lady Sea
Captain Mike & Crew

 

Last Weekend of August, 2015 Fishing Reports

Saturday, August 29th, 2015

A perfect weekend for fishing. Saturday morning we ran a 3/4 day trip. The ride to the grounds had us sail through a pod of dolphins, but otherwise uneventful. It was a great day to be on the water. The fishing was good, there was a little full moon current that we had to work around, but very manageable. We caught a lot of fish, but most were short haddock. One person caught a fish on every drop, 16 sub legal haddock in a row! We made a move to the other side of the bank for the last stop and it was much improved. It was mostly haddock with a few pollock and cusk mixed in. Only a couple dog fish and no blue sharks.

Sunday August 30, 2015

Sunday we ran a full day trip, some regular customers with a few first timers, we headed out under slightly choppy conditions. The wind picked up from the southwest overnight and we took 1-3 foot seas at an awkward angle for the ride, picking up to 4 ft as we approached the fishing grounds, but not bad. As the day progressed, the wind disappeared leaving us fishing comfortably and a perfect ride home.
 
The fishing was very good. Easily obtained the boat bag limit for haddock with a few tipping the 7-8 lb range. We also had a few cusk, red fish, and pollock to round out the catch. The deck was busy all day and one of our top 3 days for catching dogfish. The current was such that it created many tangles with the help of the dog fish. The crew earned their pay today. When the dust settled, I believe everyone enjoyed our last trip where we will be able to keep haddock. Yes, that sly, most experienced regular angler swiped another pool with a nice cusk. Nice work Gene, Semper Fi!

Labor Day weekend is coming fast. We have been chartered by the US Navy to work the Schooner Festival in Gloucester for the USS Fort McHenry. There will be public tours offered, shuttled by the Lady Sea and crew.

For those of you that put your fishing gear away at Labor Day, we thank you for a wonderfully memorable season. More customers left the boat with fish this year than any other season and we were happy to have you as our guests. Those of you that still want to fish, we can still target pollock, red fish, cusk, and hake after September. Sign up to be on the Gloucester Fleet email list so we can update you of any future trips or happenings aboard the Lady Sea.

From the Deck of the Lady Sea
Captain Mike & Crew

August 21st – August 23rd Wrap-up

August 21st – August 23rd Weekend Wrap-up

This past weekend, we ran a full day trip, 2 three quarter day trips, and a half day trip. All trips were very similar. There were plenty of fish caught, most of which were sub legal haddock. The legal to sub legal ratio was about 1 keeper to every 5 non legal. It seems there is a new body of fish in our fishing areas, mostly small haddock. The surprising thing is the lack of dogfish, we caught only a handful all weekend. We continue to catch cusk, mackerel, red fish and some hake. We also saw many more keeper pollock this weekend up to 10 lbs and a 12 lb cusk on the half day trip. The full day trip came close to the bag limit on Friday. We caught some very nice cod and a big wolf fish on the weekend, which were all released back to the ocean alive.
 
It has been a fantastic summer. We have had many more people leave the boat with at least dinner this year. It’s too bad, as of September 1, the government has decided that we can no longer retain cod and haddock. That will negatively impact the entire party and charter boat business, though pollock, cusk, red fish, mackerel, and hake are still free game, it will be tough to get enough anglers to run trips. Please call with any interest, we will do our best to put trips together.
Sign up for our email list so you will know what our plans are…..BUT, this week, we have the following opportunities for you:
Saturday – 3/4 Day Fishing 7am – 1pm
Saturday – Half Day Fishing 1:30pm-6pm
Next weekend we are going to once again assist the Navy with their shuttle service for the ship, USS Fort McHenry,  from the 4th of September through the 7th, during the Schooner Festival will be going on in the Gloucester Harbor, in Gloucester, MA.  If anyone is interested, there will be public tours of the ship.  You can contact the Cape Ann Chamber of Commerce for the actual schedule.   Hope to see you on the water!

From the Deck of the Lady Sea
Captain Mike & Crew