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
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 17th, 2015
We played host to a ½ day fishing charter, birthday party. It was a beautiful ride to the fishing grounds with the sea on our stern. When we arrived and started looking for fish the wind piped up over 15 knots out of the west and continued to build to 3-5’ choppy sea. It was perfect fishing and catching weather except for those that are not used to it. Really, a typical October day. We caught a bunch of fish, cod and haddock all of which would have been keepers during the summer of 2014. It would have been a ½ day trip to remember, but alas, October 2015, they all had to be released. Also in the catch was a bunch of sub legal Pollock and a whiting. We pounded our way back to Gloucester Harbor, like driving in a car wash, but the guests and crew made the best of it, and thankfully, it was a ½ day trip and a short ride.
That wraps up our 2015 fishing season. This year, despite the new regulations, more people caught fish and took fish home for dinner this year than any of the past 5 seasons. Shortly, the boat will be hauled for the winter, last year we focused on many cosmetic upgrades, this year, we plan to strip and rebuild the engines and some of the mechanical parts of the boat. The rods and reels will be cleaned and rebuilt, with many new rod and reel set ups added to our arsenal.
This year, look for us at the upcoming fishing expos in Providence, Rhode Island and Boxborough, MA. We look forward to seeing you there.
New England Fishing & Ourdoor Expo, Boxborough, MA January 29th -1st, 2016
www.nefishingexpo.com
New England Saltwater Fishing Show, Providence, RI February 26th – 28th, 2016
www.nesaltwatershow.com
We want to thank all our customers for a memorable year of fishing, charters, and harbor cruises and look forward to another great 2016 season.
FROM THE DECK OF THE LADY SEA
CAPTAIN MIKE & CREW
FALL FISHING – September 26th & 27th
Fall weather is upon us, where the air temperature becomes more crisp and the wind more unpredictable. Saturday, we had a ½ day trip scheduled, but the wind never let go as anticipated, so we had to cancel, 20+ knts with 4-6 foot seas is not worth the risk of injury to our customers or our crew.
Sunday we ran a ¾ day private charter. A beautiful day on the water, 100% sunshine, light winds and calm seas. Early in the trip, we had a long 2-3 foot swell, but by the time we arrived at the fishing grounds it was down to less than 2 feet and very comfortable. The fishing and catching was great from start to finish. Cod and haddock ruled the day, we easily would have had our haddock bag limit if it were legal to retain them. We also had a few cod over 15 lbs, which of course we returned to the ocean alive. In terms of fish that we could keep, the first fish on the boat was a pool winning 8 lb cusk and later we got a few red fish. We got to wrestle with a blue shark for a few minutes and we saw a small Minke whale on the ride home, but other than that, quiet on the sea creature front.
This week is looking a little suspect as we expect a pretty good blow in the middle of the week possibly extending to the early part of the weekend, but it is fall, and the weather can be unpredictable.
We will be running a 3/4 day on Saturday from 8am – 2 pm, and the Half day on Sunday from
12pm – 4:30 pm, weather permitting.
Please call 978 559 1978 to make your reservations.
FROM THE DECK OF THE LADY SEA
CAPTAIN MIKE & CREW
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
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 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
Saturday, August 15, 2015
The morning 3/4 day trip was very good. We had a full boat and great weather. The fishing and catching was very good, we came very close to catching our bag limit of haddock; throw in a few pollock, cusk, and redfish to round out our catch. The pool fish was a pollock of 6 lbs, caught by one of our irregular regulars. A few dog fish were caught, but not a problem.
The afternoon half day trip was cancelled, then not cancelled. We went with a very light crowd, caught only a couple keepers, caught some nice cod that were returned unharmed. Not a great afternoon trip except for the weather was perfect, until we rounded the breakwater on our return. We got hit by a squall with zero visibility, heavy rain, lightning, and hail. By the time we got to the dock, the skies had cleared.
Sunday, August 16
Another perfect day to go fishing with warm weather, sunny skies, and calm seas. We had a private charter full day trip. On the way to the fishing grounds, we steamed through a school of dolphins, close to a basking shark, and an ocean sunfish (Mola Mola).
On the fishing ground, the tide was screaming, making it very difficult to catch fish and created many more tangles than we have seen in a long time. Eventually, the anchor was useless, so we drift fished the last few stops. By the end of the day, we came 14 haddock shy of our quota, but we added some pollock, cusk and hake to our catch. The white hake are the first that we have seen this year. Largest fish was a 8 pound cusk just beating a couple 7lb class haddock. We had a few blue sharks feeding on some of our catch which created some excitement, especially for our younger anglers.
Upcoming open boat trips include………
Thursday, August 20th – Half Day Fishing 10am-2:30pm
Friday, August 21st, All Day Fishing 7am-4pm
Saturday, August 22nd, 3/4 Day Fishing 7am – 1pm
Sunday, August 23rd, 3/4 Day Fishing 7am -1pm
Sunday, Sugust 23rd, Half Day Fishing 1:30pm-6pm
Please call 978 559 1978 to make your reservations.
From the Deck of the Lady Sea
Captain Mike & Crew
Thursday August 13, 2015 Repeat.
The weather could not have been more ideal, cool morning, low humidity, light variable wind and clear skies. Today was a full day trip, many of our regulars were aboard once again.
The fishing and catching was great all day. Easily obtaining our haddock limit, a couple pollock and cusk rounded out the catch. It took the crew all the way to the breakwater to cut fish. Our most seasoned angler, Gene, Semper Fi ! took pool honors for the second Thursday in a row, this time with a cusk. I did not get a weight on it. The blue sharks are here and a little annoying, but exciting too, right Tommy? Lucky you didn’t break your rod, the same one that was handed down to you and you threw over board a couple trips ago and was fortunate to recover.
One unique sighting today was a large sea turtle swimming on the surface. Too bad summer is winding down, the fishing and catching has been so good this year.
This weekend we have the following trips available….
Saturday – 3/4 Day Fishing from 7am – 1pm
Saturday – Half Day Fishing 1:30pm-6pm
Check out our schedule for next week on our website at gloucesterfleet.com
From the Deck of the Lady Sea
Captain Mike & Crew
Thursday, August 6th, 2015 All Day Fishing
Today was our first trip since returning from a week in Rockland, ME tendering for the USS Tortuga at the Maine Lobster Fest.
The weather could not have been more ideal, cool morning, low humidity, light westerly wind and clear skies. Not exactly an ideal recipe for catching fish, but the fish missed as they were ready and waiting to bite.
Today was a full day trip, many of our regulars were aboard, telling stories of what they did while we were away and how happy they were that we were back to fishing! These people enjoy fishing and will fish other boats when we are unavailable, but keep coming back to the Lady Sea, which a compliment to the experience we provide and we appreciate their loyalty.
The fishing and catching was great all day long. Haddock were the rule of the day, a couple pollock and cusk rounded out the catch. It took the crew all the way to the breakwater to cut fish. Our most seasoned angler, Gene, took pool honors with a pollock, I did not get a weight on it. Too bad cod don’t count this year, huh Mark? Mark’s cod would have been the winner. The blue sharks are here and a little annoying, but exciting too.
HA, take a look at this picture, puts the Lady Sea in perspective………..
We have a busy schedule coming up with charters and open boat trips. Keep in mind, only a little over 3 weeks until the haddock season closes. With the number of pollock, cusk, red’s, hake, mackerel, and whiting around, we intend to offer trips into September and beyond if possible.
We have the following open boat trips scheduled:………………
Wednesday, August 12th – 3/4 Day Fishing 8am – 2pm
Thursday, August 13th – All Day Fishing 7am – 4pm
Saturday, August 15th – 3/4 Day Fishing 7am – 1pm
Saturday, August 15th, Half Day Fishing 1:30pm-6pm
Please call us at 978 559 1978 to make your reservation.
From the Deck of the Lady Sea
Captain Mike & Crew
July 21st through July 26th
For the Lady Sea, it was a choppy week, a mix of charters, half day, full day, and 3/4 day trips. The fishing was generally good. The full day trips limited out on haddock and caught some pollock and cusk as well. The 3/4 day trips continue to provide the mixed bag that we expect, haddock, pollock, red fish, mackerel, and cusk. The half day trips were ok, not great for keepers, but plenty of action including small haddock, whiting, small cod, pollock of all sizes, and some redfish. The Saturday am 1/2 day was met by a strong NE wind, 3-5 foot seas that negatively impacted our catch for legal fish and was a little uncomfortable. The full day corporate charter caught plenty of fish, but many anglers left the boat missing their shoes….don’t ask! Dog fish have been very manageable, and ask any of our regulars, this has been one of the best fishing and catching seasons we have had in many years.
The Lady sea is taking the next week off to head Down Maine to help our Navy friends at the annual Lobster Festival in Rockland, ME. But, when we come back, we have the month of August to fish before the fall regulations take effect September 1st.
We have the following trips available:
Thursday, August 6th – All Day 7am – 4pm
Saturday, August 8th – Half Day 1:30pm-6pm
Monday, August 10th – All Day 7am – 4pm
Wednesday, August 12th – 3/4 Day – 8am – 2pm
Thursday, August 13th – All Day 7am – 4pm
Saturday, August 15th – 3/4 Day 7am – 1pm
Saturday, August 15th – Half Day 1:30pm -6pm
Check out our schedule on line for more trips through out the month of August.
Please call us at 978 559 1978 to make your reservations. As always, we thank you for fishing with the Gloucester Fleet.
From the Deck of the Lady Sea
Captain Mike & Crew
