STELLWAGEN BANK, MA-Cod fishing 4/16/05
Posted: Sun Apr 17, 2005 11:36 amSTELLWAGEN BANK, MA- Cod Fishing 4/17/05
Both the cod fishing and the weather took a significant change for the better by week’s end. Water temperatures are now in the low 40’s. Numbers of “Market” or medium cod are moving onto the eastern edge of the bank, while a short run to the eastern drop-off has been producing mostly keeper haddock and some cusk.
Saturday’s great weather enabled four of B-Fast’s vessels, carrying 3 groups of Garden State anglers and one group of MA anglers, to fish Stellwagen’s east side and experience the best cod and haddock fishing of this late spring season. Limits of white-belly market cod between 10 and 15 pounds was the for rule R.J. Rolak’s group from Forked River, NJ, Mike Rusin’s group from Scotch Plain, NJ, Pat Lynch’s group from Galloway, NJ and Bob Nichols’s group from Quincy, MA. The cod bite on skimmer clams was fast and furious on the morning ebbing tide. Most boats were limited-out on cod, with a number of haddock in the mix, before noon.
Pat Lynch’s New Jersey anglers took top-honors with a 33 pound steaker-cod and 3 others between 20 and 25 pounds. After limiting-out on cod, Capt. Bob and Al headed the JANET B east to the deep-water, guiding the NJ fishermen to equal numbers of haddock between 6 and 12 pounds. Mike Rusin’s Garden State fishermen boated the largest wolfish at 25 pounds. (Pictures are up on my website)
For traveling anglers looking to fill their freezers, now is the time to head north. The forecast warming trend, with the accompanying wind shift to the SW, should further heat-up the fishing.
Capt. Mike Bartlett
B-Fast Charters
www.bfastcharters.com
Both the cod fishing and the weather took a significant change for the better by week’s end. Water temperatures are now in the low 40’s. Numbers of “Market” or medium cod are moving onto the eastern edge of the bank, while a short run to the eastern drop-off has been producing mostly keeper haddock and some cusk.
Saturday’s great weather enabled four of B-Fast’s vessels, carrying 3 groups of Garden State anglers and one group of MA anglers, to fish Stellwagen’s east side and experience the best cod and haddock fishing of this late spring season. Limits of white-belly market cod between 10 and 15 pounds was the for rule R.J. Rolak’s group from Forked River, NJ, Mike Rusin’s group from Scotch Plain, NJ, Pat Lynch’s group from Galloway, NJ and Bob Nichols’s group from Quincy, MA. The cod bite on skimmer clams was fast and furious on the morning ebbing tide. Most boats were limited-out on cod, with a number of haddock in the mix, before noon.
Pat Lynch’s New Jersey anglers took top-honors with a 33 pound steaker-cod and 3 others between 20 and 25 pounds. After limiting-out on cod, Capt. Bob and Al headed the JANET B east to the deep-water, guiding the NJ fishermen to equal numbers of haddock between 6 and 12 pounds. Mike Rusin’s Garden State fishermen boated the largest wolfish at 25 pounds. (Pictures are up on my website)
For traveling anglers looking to fill their freezers, now is the time to head north. The forecast warming trend, with the accompanying wind shift to the SW, should further heat-up the fishing.
Capt. Mike Bartlett
B-Fast Charters
www.bfastcharters.com