Nerdy Angler

Sunday, December 11, 2016

Stellwagen Haddock

I started taking my kids out groundfishing on party boats for Cod and Haddock about ten years ago. By this time they were big enough to handle the heavy duty tackle required for fishing in deep water. We enjoyed the fresh air and watching the whales and dolphins common on Stellwagen Bank. The only problem was the lack of fish. It seemed that the captains had us targeting tiny little Redfish because that was about the only thing around. We were lucky to bring home one or two legal size Cod or Haddock. The Dogfish were also a huge problem.

Alyssa with a fine Haddock

Redfish Nate Caught The Pool Fish!

I’m happy to say that the party boat situation on Stellwagen Bank seems to have improved dramatically. I know everyone has been griping for years about the draconian groundfishing regulations in the Gulf of Maine. However the restrictions are starting to pay off. Haddock fishing has been awsome for the past two years. Haddock are so plentiful that the bag limit has gone from just 3 fish to 15 fish per angler per day. I’m usually pleased with bringing home about six haddock. That’s more than enough to satisfy my seafood needs. This past summer I went out five times and my needs were well met each time. The action was constant all day with many small throw backs. A good sign for the future of the fishery.

Ten years ago I never would have dreamed it.

While Haddock fishing in the Spring we also caught quite a few Cod. These we had to throw back. Although private boat fisherman were allowed one Cod per day, this was not the case on the party and charter boats. Party boat fishermen were able to keep one 24 inch+ Cod per day during the months of August and September. My son Nate, and I went out on Captain John Boats in Plymouth twice during that time period. Both times everyone on the boat went home with one Cod and a decent catch of Haddock.

A Throw Back Caught in June

Mixed Bag

I’ve also noticed the Captains aren’t targeting Redfish any more. Another observation is that I caught far fewer Dogfish. This can be expected since one reason the Dogs were so plentiful is that they had little competition from other fish. As Cod and Haddock populations recover from overfishing, Dogfish will have more competition for food. Speaking of food I noticed that in May and June the Haddock bellies were bursting with Sand Eels. I was using Mackerel strips in addition to the clams provided on the boat. My biggest fish were caught on the Mackerel.

Recent fishing reports from Cape Cod and the South Shore indicate an increase of Cod fishing in the inshore waters. Private boats have been catching Cod just outside the harbors. My own experience this past June backs this up. I went out of Green Harbor in Marshfield on a boat owned by fishing buddy John Morgan. We started by jigging up tinker mackerel for Striper bait. We were fishing in about 30 feet of water near the Farnham Rock Bell Buoy. Suddenly something much bigger than a Mackerel grabbed the diamond jig at the end of my sabiki rig. A few minutes later I pulled in a 24 inch Cod. It saved the day because although there was a ton of Mackerel around the Striped Bass were nowhere to be found.

An Inshore Cod

Westport Fluke & Sea Bass

Some of the best Black Sea Bass fishing can be found just outside the harbor in Westport Massachusetts. For the past few years I’ve fished this area on a boat owned by fishing buddy, Jim Turner. We have consistently caught Sea Bass over 20 inches with quite a few in the 4-5 lb range. In fact in 2015 Jim’s wife, Valerie, won the Massachusetts State Fishing Derby in the women’s Black Sea Bass category.

In addition to monster hump headed Sea Bass we caught plenty of keeper size Fluke and experienced some fast paced Bluefishing. When the fishing slowed down during mid summer we began to explore deeper waters southwest of Cuttyhunk. We were rewarded by finding plenty of big Sea Bass in 80-100 ft of water. Also bagged a Cod on one of those trips.

We use high low rigs for the Sea Bass and spinner rigs for the Fluke. Large spinner blades seemed to work best. These were baited with locally caught squid, clams or Mackerel strips.

Captain Jim Turner with a big humpy headed Sea Bass

Black Sea Bass and Bluefish fishing was excellent this past summer.

A Westport Cod

May 12, 2016 - Azores Saltwater Fishing

The staff at the B&B we were staying at arranged for us a fishing excursion with a local fisherman and his son. Joe and Louiza brought there traditional wooden fishing boat from the village of Ribeira Quentes to pick us up in Provoacao. He took us east to a spot near the village Faial Da Terra.

The fishing techniques and the species we caught were all very similar to bottom fishing in southern New England. We used light tackle spinning rods rigged with a 3oz sinker and a single hook baited with clam. Even the clams that we used for bait were imported from Massachusetts according to Louiza. The fish that we caught resembled Scup, Sea Bass and Tautog. We caught plenty of fish in a short amount of time. Nothing big but quite a few large enough for eating. Joe and Louiza were very attentive and made the trip a very pleasant experience.

Species Caught: (from top left to bottom) Axillary Seabream, Black Tail Comber, Two Banded Seabream, Ornate Wrasse, White Seabream.

Back at the B&B I cleaned our catch and cooked it using a Portuguese garlic vinegar sauce called molho vilao. The B&B we stayed at is called Casa Maria de Deus. I would recommend to anyone who is planning the visit the island of Sao Miguel. The website link: www.casmariadedeus.com Trip Advisor reviews at www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g189134-d621271-Reviews-Casa_Maria_de_Deus-Sao_Miguel_Azores.html

Saturday, December 10, 2016

May 11, 2016 - Azores Freshwater

On May 11 my wife and I traveled to the far western end of the island of Sao Miguel to see Lagoa Das Verde and Lagoa Das Azul. The larger lake is blue and the smaller lake appears green. The lakes and village are located in the crater of a huge volcano.

After coffee and a walk around town we headed over the shore of Lagoa Das Verde. Within just a few minutes I caught two European Perch and one Northern Pike on a Silver Mepps Spinner.

Next we decided to take a walk around the lake. Less than half way around, the trail began to get narrow and steep with heavy vegetation all around.

Then we reached a point where a mudslide had recently obliterated the trail. We tried to follow a rough trail up hill, but ended up crawling under and climbing over dead trees while sliding on steep muddy ground (I was still carrying my fishing rod!). Cynthia noticed what looked like a narrow ridge that cut across a sandy cliff left by the mudslide. We made it to the ridge and followed it at risk to life and limb to main trail. We decided then to call it a day.

2015 Species List

The most satisfying aspect of fishing for me is the pursuit of different species. My goal is to catch as many species in one year as I possibly can. Some days I set out out specifically to catch as many species as I can in one day. This approach is similar to the activities of birdwatchers. My birdwatching past is what inspired me to take a species diversification approach to fishing.

Here's the list for 2015. It's longer than last year thanks to a vacation in Belize. New species for the year caught in local Cape Cod waters include: Blue Runner, Chub Mackerel, and Windowpane Flounder. The new species caught in Belize include: Blue Striped Grunt, Sailor's Choice, Gray Snapper, Mahogany Snapper, Schoolmaster and Yellow Tail Snapper. The list includes a total of 40 species, 28 from saltwater and 12 from freshwater.

1. Atlantic Mackerel