Cod and haddock fishing at it's best
Capt. Rich Antonino
May 5, 2009
Stellwagen Bank - Saltwater Fishing Report
Saturday, May 02, 2009
What a day! With great weather predicted for the weekend, it was destined to be a great weekend of fishing with consecutive charters with the same customers. I really enjoy the continuity of having repeat customers.
Today didn't dissappoint. Over the course of Saturday, we limited out on cod and filled the boat with a boatload of haddock. Most of the fish were caught on jigs, even the haddock. We did some running around, but mostly found the fish in tight pockets, which meant a lot of short drifts over hungry schools.
Sunday, May 03, 2009
Day 2...Sunday. Luckily, we found the cod. After a bunch of running around and hitting fish here and there, we were able to amass our limit of nice cod to about 12 pounds. Nice eating fish . The weather today was intense----no wind and mirror seas. This made cruising amazing--we fled out at 35 mph and came home comfortably at 35 as well. It makes for a lot of fishing time and less time travelling.
We really had a blast on the cod, but the haddock just spurned us. They were there; we marked them aplenty, but they wanted nothing to do with us. Not a big deal, my customers still had a blast and went home with a ton of fish.
We saw a huge grey seal feeding in 200 feet of water, eating a skate!! Yes, they can make it to the bottom in water like that, if you were wondering!
Be well, have fun. See you smiling, Capt. Rich Antonino, Black Rose Fishing Charters, 508-269-1882
Monday, May 04, 2009
The Richard trip. My father, myself, and my son. Everything that you could want in a fishing trip. I was going to just wake my son up this morning at 4:30, but I had to make sure he got to bed extra early, so I had to tell him. Then the excitement builds. I know the feeling, still. We left my house at 4:50 and were promptly underway at 5:30.
I love having the boat in the water. It's as simple as getting there and turning a key; everything is ready. We had perfect weather today, so I ran around a lot, trying new places to see if the fish had moved around much yet. I ran around a lot, finding schools of small fish, better fish, herring, sandeels, whales. It was nice to see all of the life. I was able to look at my logbook from year's past, early May, and check on spots that have performed in the past. Things are cyclical, that's for sure. Now for the haddock on the western edge. That's next.
Needless to say, the cod cooperated. My son actually outfished me and my father (keeper-wise). No BS there; he just dropped and the fish found him. Of course, he didn't set the hook as immediately as more seasoned fishermen, so he did nail about 10 double-headers (5 of which were double-keepers!) That's when the fish are thick!!!
So, weather permitting, I'll be able to stay on these fish for a long time. Who wants to fish on Mother's Day? I am thinking of a "6 hour" cod trip--leave at 5:00 and get back to the pier at 11:00 am. And then get home to Mother. Who's up for a quick trip this Sunday? I have one spot available for Friday's shared charter....
Capt. Rich Antonino, tired, smiling, and recharged. 508-269-1882
Stellwagen Bank Fishing Forecast:
If you've never caught more fish than you can imagine, then try cod fishing on Stellwagen Bank right now! It's so good that my 5 year old caught his limit of fish quickly!!
Target Species:
cod, haddock, wolf fish
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