There are a number of events in nature that
affect the activity of the fish in Cape Cod Bay. For example, in the
summer when we get a cool front move through and we get a hard northwest
wind it will push the stripers up on top of Billingsgate Shoals. When the
water in on Stoney Bar warms up the bass move out of there and leave it to
the bluefish. That’s why when you go up into that area and then towards
Sunken Meadow you can pretty much count on finding a number of bluefish
most of the summer. It’s thought that a hard southwest wind can push the
bass out into the deeper water off the north edge of the shoals. At any
rate, the weather can greatly affect what the fish are doing.
As far as I’m concerned, and I’m not a
weatherman, but, we’ve had both a strange spring and early summer as far
as the weather is concerned. So it’s not surprising that the fish are
acting a wee bit odd. In the last few days the charter fleet has had to
work for their fish. We’ve been finding some bass in each area we look,
just not the volume we’ve normally seen. At other time we’ve run across
large schools that won’t hit our baits. The area that the stripers have
frequented the most is the deep water on the north edge of Billingsgate
Shoals. This area is where we will see the stripers on our fish-finders,
put an umbrella rig right into them and nothing will happen most of the
time. At other times we load up on both bass and bluefish. Go figure...
Where to look next week? The way things
look I’d use the shoals as a center point. Start there and work to the
north edge out to 50 feet. If not there check out the south edge by
jigging along it. Your best results would most likely be to start from
east and work to the southwest along the edge. If you still don’t find
much work out in the deep water, 50 ft. or more, up towards the Path.
Covering this ground should produce you some action.
This coming week Rock Harbor is going to
have a small tournament on the 3rd of July on the 1/2 day trip scheduled
to leave around 11:45 am.. It involves those boats in the association.
Anyone who has booked one of our boats on their own or books it through
The Booth will automatically be entered. There is no extra entry fee, it
is all gratis. There will be awards for the biggest fish, bass or
bluefish, second biggest fish, and other more humorous prizes. This
tournament is for fun and to promote the sport of fishing. A local band,
OVERBOARD, will be performing down at the harbor the evening before, the
2nd of July, approximately 7:00 pm.. If you’re interested is viewing the
end result of this competition come down to the harbor about 4:00 pm. on
the 3rd and give the winners a hand. There are some boats still open if
you want to try your luck. Just ask Roxanne at the booth about the
tournament.
This last Monday I had a group of guys from
New Jersey. They have been out with me before, a few years ago, and they
told me we had done fairly well. This time they brought a you gentleman
with them. It was his first time fishing in the bay.
It didn’t take long for this angler to
catch on and he easily landed a striper close to 20 pounds. Ryan Palumbo,
14 years old, from Wantage, N.J. will not soon forget his struggle with
this majestic fish.
Don’t forget about the tournament on the
3rd of July, but if you’d like to get out any other time give me a call at
508-240-8267 or 508-255-6211 and I’ll try and get you out on the bay.
Schools are letting out, the summer rentals
are starting to fill up and finally the weather is warming up. The booth
at Rock Harbor is open and starting to book summer anglers who will do
their best to land a big bass and bluefish. I’d like to say all is well in
the world but I’d be lying. At least all is well here on Cape Cod and in
Rock Harbor on Cape Cod Bay.
It also seems that the bass and bluefish
are settling down to their summer habits. The larger schools of stripers
have moved out of the Stoney Bar area and spread out between the New
Grounds, west of the old Target Ship and up on the north edge of
Billingsgate Shoals
The bluefish, our old standby, is found
just about everywhere we have found the stripers. However, they have not
shown themselves in large numbers yet. It could be that we, as charter
captains, have not really gone looking for them in the usual areas. I have
trolled in towards the Sunken Meadow area and hooked up one or two
bluefish, but nowhere near the amount of hook ups we have found in the
past. The last bunch of northeast winds could have impeded their activity.
Only time will tell. They are out in the deep water in fairly substantial
numbers but not overly so.
This last Monday I had a booth trip on the
1/2 day part of the tide. The four guys had not done much fishing and were
eager to try anything. No one had jigged on Top of Billingsgate Shoals
much and those who had did not fish there for long. I told them this and
said we should give this area a good look see. It’s a good thing we did.
It was not hot and heavy but the fishing was a little better than decent.
We did land one striper that had to go twenty pounds. One of the other
charter boats, the Osprey, came up on top also and Captain Viprino was
able to land some of these big bass for his party too. You had to put in
the time, but both the bass and the bluefish kept us pretty busy.
Another area that is staying fairly active
is along the drop off of the Brewster Flats. Jigging is the best method
but the umbrella rig and single swimming plugs will also work. Look for
working birds for the real give-a-way. Or, just jig along the edge until
you find them, and then work the area.
As the summer starts into its full swing
I’d like to welcome two new captains to the Rock Harbor Fleet. Joe Higgins
and his boat the Amber Lee has taken over the slot held by Capt. Dick
Woodland who has retired and sold Joe the boat. Capt. Woodland shoes will
be very hard to fill with his better than 50 years experience. Capt.
Higgins has his work cut out for him. The other is Kirstyn Costa who’s
waiting for the ink to dry on her license so she will be at the helm of
the Columbia sharing it with her brother. She is going to be brought into
a long line of charter captains with the last name of Costa. She is the
granddaughter of the of the late Elmer Costa and I’m sure she will do him
proud.
The season has started and we are keeping
the bluefish and bass on their toes. Come down to Rock Harbor and see what
the boats bring in. If you’re so inclined go talk to Roxanne at the booth
and sign up to go catch your own fish.
If you’d like give me a call at
508-255-6211 or 508-240-8267 and I’ll try and get you out for a day of
fishing.
All the boats are in the water now and
raring for action. Fortunately the fish in Cape Cod Bay are also. Even
though the bass sometimes play cat and mouse with us a bit our boats are
keeping them on their fins. Fish don’t have toes. Seriously, all of our
captains are making a concerted effort to keep track of these stripers,
who are making us work to keep track of them.
Usually, each summer a new secret lure that
works better than expected comes to the surface. This season it seems the
old standbys are what is working best. The main standard, the umbrella
rig, has always been and is still the best insurance policy to hook up on
finicky stripers. The second and probably the best for hooking up on
larger bass and bluefish is the jigged eel. Many of the captains started
using them very early this season. The other standby is the hootchie. As
far as fishing for bass and bluefish is concerned this lure works very
well. It works best in the shallow water near rips and many of the bars in
the Bay. The one lure that is starting to show some success is the
swimming plug. Not the plugs with the metal spoon or nose but the one that
swims to a shallow depth, those with the small plastic bill or nose. Most
of us use Bombers. The colors are almost a personal choice but the white,
black & silver or clear, the mackerel, and the pink colored plugs seem to
work the best.
The best or most productive area for the
stripers has been the south edge of the shoals where you see working
birds, off the Brewster Flats, and west of the Target Ship. There are a
few bass are still being caught in by Stony Bar but it is mostly bluefish
up there now. The north edge of the shoals also holds a number of bluefish
if you’re going to use an umbrella rig on wire.
The area to look next I feel will be on top
of Billingsgate Shoals. The method to use will be a toss up. You’ll just
have to try all of them out to see which way works the best.
There seems to be many different groups of
anglers coming from all different parts of the east coast this season.
Capt. John Shakliks, who run the Luau, had a bunch of guys up from New
Jersey. John goes black powder hunting with them in the early winter and
turkey hunting in the spring down in Jersey and these guys come up for
some good bass fishing with John. This season Capt. Shakliks treated them
to some of the best fishing they’d had in years. I had a group up from
Delaware, just outside D.C.. Don’t worry they weren’t politicians, if they
were I wouldn’t have anything to do with them. These guys did well also.
They will be eating fish for a while.
This last Sunday I took many of the
employees of the Goose Hummock out for an early morning 1/2 day trip, They
all fish but it is rare to get them all on one boat. We did fine, they
kept three stripers and a few bluefish and released the rest. They did try
a new rod and reel set up which could set new standards. I’m not at
liberty to release this information. You’ll have to go in and ask on your
own. The real angler of the week was a Miss Liana Ghiron, age 12 from
Newton, Ma. She came out with her mother Linda and their friend Janet
Park. None of these women had done much fishing but Miss Liana was the
first to pick up on the techniques of angling. With not much effort she
landed her share of both stripers and bluefish. It is good to see a young
lady like this enjoy a new found sport.
If you’d like to try your hand at some good
Cape Cod bay fishing call me at: 508-255-6211 or 508-240-8267 (cell)
Well an unexpected tuna
season started this past weekend with fish caught from east of Chatham to
the south west corner of Stellwagen. the use of squid bars and green
machines have been doing the job. Bob from local hooker rods told me
yesterday that he hooked up with in the first our of being out there. He
was dragging a brown and green bar with a zucchini hook bait he was near the
BC buoy and that where he found the most abundant population of life. Good
customer and friend George McCarthy caught an eighty five pounder on a green
machine with a bird. He was out on the south west corner of Stellwagen.
Capt. Sean Delude of Trashy Thoughts landed a fish that dressed out at 93
lbs. He was just off Nauset inlet and was cruising around bait ball with
squid rigs in tow. What a way to start off the tuna fishing season.
Bass fishing has been red hot with fish scattered everywhere. The Brewster
flats have been awesome for the fly Roding enthusiasts. Lets hope that the
Northern wind stops so we can get back out there. The pattern that seems to
be doing the trick has been sparsely tied clousers and jiggy flies. The
are primarily tied in the 2-4" range to mimic the size of the bait found out
there. Cape cod bay has been doing well off the Brewster channel and off
the number 3 can. the use of smoochies and bombers seem to be doing well.
For the Chatham fisherman the keys seems to be the incoming late night tide
where spin fisherman and fly rodders have been doing well. Popular hot
spots include Harding beach, Morris island and south beach. be prepared and
pack that knot-able wire because the blue fish have been tearing up all the
bait from cape cod bay and the south side.
garrett
Captain Garrett LaScola
June 11, 2007 Blog Entry :
Capt. Hap Farrell
The Goose Hummock
Goes to Sea...
By Capt. Hap Farrell
At a little before 5 am. on Sunday, June
10th, a group of anglers, employees of the Goose Hummock, went aboard the
Stunmai II in Rock Harbor in Orleans, Ma. on Cape Cod. The were planning
on fishing in the water of Cape Cod Bay. Fishing is what they did. These
folks sell a lot of tackle to the novice and expert anglers on the Lower
Cape. They all fish on there off time but rarely fish together on one
boat. This Sunday morning things changed. As they landed both bass and
bluefish the insults, very much in jest, were flying freely. At the end of
this short but sweet trip it was very obvious that they enjoyed this early
morning adventure. They say a picture is worth a thousand words. lets hope
it’s true.
The summer is starting out on a good foot
as far as the fishing in Cape Cod Bay. The weather has been good for the
most part, very little wind. The fish have been where we could find them
fairly easily and there are plenty of them. However, they are on the move
now. Actually this is a good thing. This last weekend some of our boats
found large schools of keeper sized bass and plenty of bluefish out in the
deep water off the north edge of Billingsgate Shoals. It seems that the
fish that were in off the Eastham shore and on Stoney Bar have moved to
both on top of the shoals and to the deep water off the shoals.
This thought that the fish on the north
edge are from inside by Stoney Bar has some skeptics. Many believe that
the stripers and bluefish that show up there come around Race Point. If
this is true then the big stripers that were in by the #3 and # 5 cans
have moved elsewhere. Maybe to the west to the New Grounds in the deep
water off the Brewster Flats. If so then they have scattered out through
the area. At any rate, the fish are on the move. Where they settle down is
the question. My money is on the shoals and the north edge where the
schools of fish in the deep water will finally end up. The fish from
inside are on the New Grounds west of the old Target Ship and you will
have to do some looking to find them.
It’s good to see the bluefish show up. It
will take a few days and a few more degrees in the water temperature
before these fish get really active. Once they do we will have some good
action when the bass fishing is a little slow. Plus many of the anglers
that fish with us love to tie into a hard fighting bluefish especially on
lighter tackle. Right now you can hook up on some in the deep water off
the north edge of the shoals and a few have been landed in by the Sunken
Meadow area. However, these bluefish are still not as active as they will
be in a week or so. The umbrella rig seems to be the best bet to use.
Next week will tell use where the most
active area will be for a while. If this season is anything like last year
the most active area will be the north edge of Billingsgate Shoals and the
deeper water, 40 ft. to 60 ft., off the north edge and up towards the
Path. On calm days you’ll be able to see the schools near the surface,
otherwise you’ll need a good fish finder to locate them. These schools
will not be staying still. They will be moving around with no real rhyme
or reason.
This last Sunday I had a couple of folks
out for a 1/2 day trip. Robert Tobin, from Albany, N.Y., and a friend of
his Colleen, want to try out some of this seasons fishing. Robert had
fished out of Rock Harbor once before but Colleen had never been. We went
to an area I had fished before and had found some good sized bass. As
always, the woman landed the larger fish. One of Colleens many stripers
was a 1/8 inch off being forty inches. Not bad for a first timer...
If you’d like to see if you can beat
Colleens striper give me a call at 508-240-8267 or 508-255-6211.
The weather was
good for a change. Usually we have rain and wind on the first real long
weekend of the season. This one was good and so
was the fishing. We
had warm days all week before and this brought up the water temperature.
This, in turn got the stripers active. Granted more small fish moved in
but there was lots of action and enough were legal to keep everyone happy.
Large numbers of
small bass with some small keepers mixed in
have moved up on
top of Billingsgate Shoals. From the grass patches on the east end of the
shoals to the Wreck Buoy, down near the west end, you could see pods of
working birds on fish. The whole shoals were full of sand eels. Just off
the edge on the south side were more schools of fish some of which were
decent in size. The main area was still on Stoney
Bar and just off
the Eastham shore out in 15 to 18 feet of water. The channel that lead
into Welfleet Harbor between the #3 and #5 cans also held some legal size
bass. You just had to work through the small ones.
The main lure
system that worked the best was the reliable
umbrella rig on 150
feet of wire. Many of the charter captains don’t like to use them,
including myself, but if it works we use it. It is not unheard of
to have 2 or 3 fish
on one rig, sometimes even more. Mostly we get small fish using this
tackle but it gives you plenty of action and can land that big fish
everyone is looking for. The hootchie, which had been working very well,
seems to attract bigger fish. Put it in combination with a swimming plug
and you have a deadly system. Unfortunately, you don’t have quite the
action you get with the umbrella rig, most of which will be undersized
stripers.
The first bluefish
in the charter fleet was caught on Saturday, the 26th, aboard the Luau,
operated by John Shakliks. He was using
hootchies up near
the #5 can more towards the Eastham side of the channel when a stern rod
went off. The fish fought a little different than the stripers he had been
hooking up on. When it came in he immediately put
it out on the radio
that he had landed a nice 10 pound bluefish. Rumor had it that a few
bluefish had been caught by shore fishermen in the South Sunken Meadow
area. I guess they were true.
What will happen
next week? I think you’ll see a little less action inside the #3 and #5
cans as far as the stripers are concerned. With this little cold front
coming through the bluefish won’t be too active yet. They need warmer
water before they get really active. I think the place to look
is west of the old
Target Ship and the south edge of Billingsgate Shoals. There will be a lot
of schools of small stripers with the bigger fish mixed
in. It’s the deeper
water west of the ship that I think will hold small bunches of the 34 to
40 inch bass. Jigging or an umbrella rig on a 200
foot wire rod
should do the trick. This time of the season there seems to
be a fair amount of
moving as far as the stripers are concerned. As the water warms up they
keep setting into new areas. Given a little more time they will be on the
top of the shoals and then on the north edge.
This last week I
had a party put together by Maggie Hasbouch. She wanted to try her hand at
sportfishing and brought her friends to help. Before the end of the days
all were saying they’d be sore the next morning. They had a workout
landing their limit in stripers. The almighty hootchie did the trick. On
Monday, Mark Werner and his two sons and a girlfriend had a taste of Cape
Cod Bays fishing. They had no trouble getting the 4 fish they wanted to
take home. They threw back a fair
number they could
have kept. One important thing happened. Becka, the girlfriend, seemed to
be along for the ride. By the end of the trip she was obviously the most
excited one of the bunch. It seems we created a fishing fanatic in Becka.
If you’d like to
get in on some of this good spring fishing give me a call: Home -
508-255-6211 or the boat: 508-240-8267
During this last
week and especially this last weekend we enjoyed lovely overcast and rainy
weather. It was perfect for lots of indoor activities but not much in the
way of fishing. One charter boat out of Sesuit, the Prime Rate did get out
and found a number of bass west of the #3 can. He also reported that there
were lots of Mackerel over by Sesuit Harbor by the Farway Buoy. This is a
good sign.
This time of the
season is when many changes take place. Even with the cool and cloudy
weather we have had, more and more bass have moved into the Bay. From what
we hear from the Nantucket Sound side the bluefish have already arrived in
force so it will not be long before they show up here. More times than not
the first bluefish will be landed in by the #3 and # 5 cans near
Billingsgate Island, most likely on the Eastham side of the channel there.
This inside of the elbow of Cape Cod seems to be an important area as far
as fish activity. It is also one of the areas where we start catching the
larger striped bass of the season. It is probably because it is where the
water is the warmest this time of the spring season.
As the season
progresses and the weather warms the water these large schools of small
stripers move through this area. They stop off and feed as the bait also
migrate north. Some of these bass are just legal fish and this makes for
good early season fishing. Now, as we get into the middle and end of May
we see schools of larger fish move in. Some feel these fish have been here
for a while and were just up in the shallower water feeding on some of the
herring and small crabs found in those areas. Once the water warms enough
these larger bass move out in the deeper water feeding on the same bait
the smaller bass had been feeding on, sand eels, squid and anything else
that might be swimming in the water.
Last year during
the same period of time these large stripers found a number of squid in
the area of the inside of the elbow of the Cape, Right in the area between
Rock Harbor and Welfleet Harbor. Very handy for us. It looks as if it is
happening again. This last week myself, John Shaklis on the Luau, Steve
Ellis on the Watanya, Don Viprino of the Osprey, and Eric Stewart on the
Hook Up have found a number of stripers up on the Stoney Bar area. Some of
these bass have been close to 40 inches long. I’ve been told by Fran, at
the Goose Hummock, that he saw a striper landed in the Sunken Meadow area
that had to go 35 to 40 pounds. It was caught from shore. There has to be
some really big fish around. Last year I landed a few bass in the 42 inch
range in the area between the #3 can and #5 can in the Stoney Bar area. I
used hootchies most of the time and also some mackerel type swimming
plugs.
Memorial Day
Weekend is coming up. It is the official start of the spring fishing
season and from all the signs it is going to be a great season. For all of
you with your own boats you should have checked everything such as battery
condition, having a working radio or cell phone, life preservers and all
other safety equipment and a supply of fuel filters with the problems in
the new fuel. Also, in this case water and alcohol do not mix well. Unlike
a car, you can not pull to the side and walk home. Be very careful and
enjoy the holiday weekend and some good fishing.
For those who want
to do some fishing and don’t have a boat, come down to Rock Harbor. Talk
to one of us and we’ll get you out for some of the best fishing this
season. To contact me call, 508-255-6211 or 508-240-8267
Back again... The winter has passed, the
leaves are coming out on the trees, and all is well with the Cape. Oh
yes... The fish are here too. I mean they are really here in force.
Before I get into what is happening in Cape
Cod Bay I first must mention the passing of a legend. Capt. Elmer Costa,
own of the Columbia in Rock Harbor, passed away this last November. I was
privileged to have known and fished with this gentleman. Like most men of
his ilk, he was unique, a man who took on life with both hands, shook it,
and got the best it had to offer from it. He will be sorely missed but his
soul will live on in all who knew him. I, personally, can still see his
smiling face after telling one of his many stories.
The Bay has come alive. By mid April more
and more bait, sand eels, squid, and small bait fish moved into the Bay.
By early May, as the water warmed up, there were the first signs of the
striped bass. Some small fish were seen in Barnstable Harbor, then off
Sesuit Harbor, after that Rock Harbor and up by Welfleet. Pollock,
haddock, and finally the small striped bass showed up around P-town. The
Bay filled up with life. We even had a pod of whales off Dennis feeding on
the bounty of bait. By these signs it seems we’re going to have some great
spring bass “fishing”...
A week ago my wife and I took a short ride
over to the Brewster Flats. Just about a mile west of Rock Harbor. Annie
noticed some working birds so we stopped and set out an umbrella rig on
my 150 ft. wire rod. Within seconds she was on. The first fish of the
season. It was a good sight even though the fish was undersized and had to
go back. Dinner will have to wait for another day and a larger fish. It
will be well worth the wait. Annie hooked up 4 to 5 more times with more
than one fish on the rig each time. Within an hour we we back in the
harbor and her arms needed a rest. Saturday afternoon, Eric Stewart, on
the Hook Up, had his brother and his friends out for a full day trip
landing both a good number of flounder and a few legal sized stripers. He
was fishing over by the # 3 and # 5 cans near Billingsgate Island. This
part of Cape Cod Bay is truly active.
If the weather doesn’t go completely wacky
and the Bay freezes over, the stripers should stay in the area off the
Brewster Flat and around the Stoney Bar area for the next week to two
weeks. Then they may move west of the old Target Ship, on the south edge
of Billingsgate Shoals. or even on top of the shoals. The warmer and
sunnier the weather the quicker the fish will move. Barnstable Harbor
should come alive with stripers also as well as up by P-town.
This last Sunday, the 13th, I had Andy La
Mothe and some of his friends out for my first half day trip of the
season. We left early in the morning and is was a bit cool out. In the low
forties. It didn’t take long to heat things up with the first fish. It was
a small bass taken on the umbrella rig. Shortly after that we hooked up
again. This was on a combo, a hootchie followed by a swimming plug, in the
outrigger. This fish stayed in the box, 33 inches. By the end of the trip
they had four keepers, dinner for everyone. On Monday I took Garret La
Scolo, from the Goose Hummock, and Tyler Payne, from the Pleasant Bay
General Store, out for some fun with some really light gear. They were
using 6 and 8 pound test line on light trolling rods. We didn’t get
anything to keep, but the fishing was fantastic.
If you’d like to get in on some of this
early spring fishing give me a call at 508-240-8267 (Boat) or 508-255-6211
(Home).
I went out looking in Cape Cod Bay today.
Just to see if there might be some small schoolies up off the Brewster
Flats near Paine’s Creek. I didn’t get that far. My wife, Annie, came
along so I told her to look for working birds on the way. Immediately she
said, “Like those over there?” I set out an umbrella rig and in seconds
had a fish on or should I say four fish on the rig.
In less the forty minutes we probably
landed over twenty fish. A few were close to the 28 inch limit but not
quite there. So, it is needless to say there are a few fish in the Bay.
Maybe a few hundred thousand. I saw working birds from La Salett out to
the west as far I as could see, just off the Brewster Flats. They are
here!!!
NMFS Proposes Initial Atlantic Bluefin Tuna Quotas and Effort
Controls for 2007 Fishing Year
By The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS)
Published: April 5, 2007
The National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS) issued a proposed rule to set initial 2007
fishing year quotas for the Atlantic bluefin tuna (BFT) fishery
and effort controls. Based on the 2006 quota recommended for the
United States by the International Commission for the
Conservation of Atlantic tunas (ICCAT), 2006 fishing year
underharvests, and other considerations (including accounting
for dead discards and a new ICCAT cap on carryover of
underharvest), NMFS proposes for the 2007 fishing year (June 1
through December 3 1,2007) the quotas shown in the attached
table, which also shows the proposed time-period subquotas for
the General category. This compressed timeframe is due to the
shiftfrom a fishing year of June through May to a
calendar year as required by the final rule implementing the
Consolidated Atlantic Highly Migratory Species Fishery
Management Plan. NMFS proposes to provide permit holders an
extended window of opportunity to change their permit category
for the 2008 fishing year, i.e., once during the period of
January 1,2008, through May 3 1,2008. NMFS proposes restricted
fishing days for: all Saturdays and Sundays from November
17,2007 through December 3 1,2007, plus November 22,2007, and
December 25,2007. These days are intended to extend the General
category BFT fishery into the late season for the southern
Atlantic region. NMFS also proposes the following initial
General category retention limits and a schedule of Angling
category retention limits for the 2007 fishing year:
Catagory
Retention Limit (per vessel per day/trip)
Duration
General
3 large
medium/giant BFT (measuring 73" or greater
June 1,
2007- August 31, 2007
Angling
1 school
BFT (measuring 27-47" AND 2 school/small medium BFT
(measuring 47-<73")
June 1,
2007 - December 31, 2007
Comments on the proposed action
should be sent to: E-mail: 07BFTSPECS@noaa.gov; Federal e-
Rulemaking Portal: http:www.regulations.gov;
Mail: Sarah McLaughlin, HMS
Management Division, Office of Sustainable Fisheries (FISFI),
NMFS, One Blackburn Dr.,
Gloucester, MA
01930;
Fax: 978- 281-9340. Comments must be received on or before May
4,2007. NMFS will hold three public hearings to receive comments
from fishery participants and other members of the public
regarding these proposed initial quota specifications and effort
controls, as follows:
1. April 24,2007,7-9 p.m.,
Carteret Community College, Joselyn Hall, H.J. McGee, Jr.
Building, 3505 Arendell Street, Morehead City, NC 28557;
2. April 26,2007, 6:30-8:30
p.m.,
West Islip Public Library,
3 Higbie Lane, WestIslip,
NY, 11795;
and
3. April 27,2007,3:30-5:30 p.m.,
NMFS, One Blackburn Drive,
Gloucester,
MA 01930.
This notice is
a courtesy to BFT fishery participants to help keep you informed
about your fishery. Official notice of Federal fishery actions
is made through filing such notice with the Office of the
Federal Registry For further information contact the HMS
Management Division at (978) 281-9260.
One of the spots where we find the spring
run striped bass on the Lower Cape is the River Road Landing in Orleans.
Another area is Hardings Beach in Chatham but the one I look at first is
the River Road Landing. On Friday, the 20th of April, Fran, from the Goose
Hummock, stated he landed two small spring run stripers right at the top
of the tide. He took them on a small white, squiggly “gummy bear” type
lure, about 5 minutes apart. It’s a white Bucktail with a white rubber
tail built in. That started it.
The spring here on the Cape has not been
what we normally go through. It’s been cold, windy, and rainy. Friday, the
20th, was the real first sunny day we’ve had in a number of days. We had
not heard of any fish been landed anywhere in this area. Finally, word has
come that the sound side of the Cape has it’s first arrivals in the rivers
and estuaries. A good sign the spring season is starting.
When Fran
started telling people what he’d found that Friday afternoon it didn’t
take long before the rods came out of the closets, cellars and sheds. They
were dusted off, lubed up, and the favorite spring lure was attached to
the line. Off to the the River Road Landing to see if the story is true. I
wonder if the dock will be big enough to hold everyone?
I just got home from going to Sesuit,
Northside Marina, to check on my boat and take some stuff up to it. I
restocked my wood stove and brought in more wood for the evening, it’s
going to be cold tonight. It’s supposed to be in the 20’s. Where is
Spring?
Earlier today I stopped by the Goose
Hummock, in Orleans here on Cape Cod, to see if Fran had heard of any
small stripers being caught. Fran stated he’d checked the Red River a few
days ago and found nothing. I had found nothing at the River Road landing
behind the Orleans Town Hall. Usually by this time Fran would have gotten
word that there we some small bass on the south side of the Cape but there
is still no real word yet. Where is the Spring?
In years past I could usually find a run of
small bass by going to the end of Barley Neck Rd. and walking out to the
last point. On the dropping tide I would land a number of small bass, some
over 20 inches by fishing off that point with small swimming plugs. This
season I think I’m going to wait a little longer.
I did stop at the Brewster Herring Run to
see if any fish had started up the run. There were a few scouts. One of
the town naturalists told me they had been coming up the run for the past
few days but just a few at a time. While I stood there, pondering on what
this upcoming season might bring I swear I heard, “When is the spring
going to get here?” coming from the direction of the run.
The
Goose Hummock Shop is Having an Open house April 7th. We will Have Team
Shimano here as well as Hab's custom plugs and point Jude Tins. Also we
will have tackle manufactures at the shop Also! There will also be a Door
Prize for attendees. Also huge discount sale on select Merchandise. Also
Offshore angler sport fishing will be presenting a presentation on sport
fishing Cape Cod and the Islands from bass to tuna! Also there will be free
food and beverage during the open house. most of the activities will be
held from 12-4 pm. Also we have had Cascade custom die flat wing hackles,
buck tails and synthetic to fit the need of our fly tying customers. We
have all the new 2007 fly fishing and spinning gear in stock at lower prices
anywhere. Also we have increased the amount of offshore fishing tackle two
fold with custom gear and there is more on the way! I hope to see you at
the shop on Rt. 6A Orleans Next to the Orleans Inn on town cove. For more
information please call me at 508-255-0455!
Garrett
Captain Garrett LaScola
March 7, 2007 Blog Entry :
webmaster
3
random outdoor links for you. Enjoy.
1) I beckoned my son over for this one and
he says "oh it's a sunfish" before I could even say anything. Well la-de-da,
I've never seen one. Even if you have these photos are pretty cool.
CLICK HERE for the mola mola or Giant Sunfish.
2) Great story on what could have been a World Record Bass
CLICK HERE for the "Queen of Dixon"
3) Jim Zumbo of Outdoor Life magazine really ticked some people off with an
anti-assault blog recently, they removed it from their site........but I
found it and his apology.
CLICK HERE for whom some people are now calling Jim Dumbo.
Season is upon us.......this blog will
be cooking real soon...stay tuned......
Well
the ice fishing on the cape has been great. Many Brood stock salmon have
been taken out of Cliff and Sheeps Pond in Brewster. The largest fish that
we have seen is 18.5 lb taken from Cliff this past weekend on 4 lbs. test
line. Everyone seems to be using shiners on tip-ups and fishing the
shiners 6-8' down from the ice for the salmon. The trout and bass fishing
has been good also many people have been sounding the bottom and putting
their baits anywhere from 1-3' of the bottom fish up to 6 lbs have been
taken. In the smaller kettle ponds fishermen and women have been very
successful catching large yellow and white perch. the technique most
commonly used seems to be jigging off the bottom. The lure of choice for
this method has been Swedish pimples tipped with either gulp maggots, small
shiners or meals worms.
Also we have weighed in over a dozen fish that met the required weights
for the sport fishing awards program put on by the division of fish and
wildlife. adult anglers are not the only ones who are eligible for this
program. The state started a junior division this year for anglers 1-17
years of age. What is required for this is a valid fishing license if you
are of the age, the fish to be weighed meeting the minimum weight and a
witness to sign off on the affidavit.
Well if you can get out on the ice before the warmth of spring comes along
take full advantage of it. Also be careful on the ice because many of the
ponds on the cape are feed by underground springs. These springs deliver
warmer water this time of year which tends to make weak spots on the ice.
if the ice does not look safe don't go out on it, a fish is Not
worth your life! Tight line to all of you.
Captain Garrett LaScola
Feb 9, 2007 Blog Entry :
Capt. Hap Farrell
Awaiting A New Season
By Capt. Hap Farrell
It’s the early part of February 2007 and 6:30 in the morning. The
temperature outside is 14 degrees here in Orleans, Ma. down on Cape Cod.
There’s not much wind. If it was the middle of May I’d be getting ready to
go fishing this morning to see if the big bass have move out of the Sunken
Meadow area and out by the #3 and #5 cans near Billingsgate Island. It’s
not, it’s still winter and cabin fever is starting to take it’s toll. My
rods are in a corner gathering dust and the boat is still covered with a
white plastic. However, there is hope. A sign that may mean we will have
another good season with the bass and bluefish staying in the Bay and in our
area . Ice, and lots of it. Ice in Cape Cod Bay.
Over the past few seasons I’ve noticed something. When we’ve had a mild
winter when we don’t have much ice build up in Cape Cod Bay we also don’t
have much of a influx of bait in the Bay. The sand eels, squid and other
bait may move into the Bay for a while but not for long and not in any
volume. If we have a cold winter and a good amount of ice in the Bay the
bait seems to come in early and stay for a while. The amount of bait is
significantly larger and the variety of bait is more extensive.
The last two winter we’ve had, there has been a fair amount of of ice in the
Bay. We had large schools of big sand eels on the north edge of Billingsgate
Shoals, a good amount of squid was also in the Bay from the shallow water in
by the Eastham shore out to the deep water off the Path. P-town had large
schools of sand eels and squid also and this kept larger schools of bass in
the areas from Long Point around to Race Point and further down the coast.
I’m not a marine biologist but it seems to me that the bait comes in to the
Bay because there is an abundance of food for them. This food must be fairly
small like krill or small sea life. They are there because there is food for
these creatures also. This food has to be plankton which is created in
abundance in cooler water as I remember. What they feed off of is beyond me
but it is common sense to think the conditions must be good for the plankton
to exist. Another sign will be the whale activity in the early spring. When
we’ve had this abundance of ice we have had a large number of Right Whales
in the Bay in middle March into April. They too are here because there is a
large amount of food for them.
Putting all of this together only one conclusion can be taken. We are going
to have a very good season this year. The fish should be in the Cape Cod Bay
area in the early spring and stick around until it’s time to put the boats
away next fall. So, it is going to be up to us to catch them. This is
something I plan to do as much as humanly possible and I suspect I’ll see
you there too. We do have something to look forward to.
Captain Hap Farrell -
stunmai@copper.net
Jan 16, 2007 Blog Entry :
webmaster
A Blog
reader sent this information in.................thanks Mark!
More info for the blog.
Rep. Straus did re-file the Kayak bill. Below is the text he filed. It
is HD 355. It will get a final bill number when it is assigned to a
committee..................
Mark Jacobson
AN ACT relative to Kayak Safety
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in
general Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
SECTION 1. section 1 of Chapter 90B of the General Laws, as appearing
in the 2004 Official Edition, is hereby amended by inserting after the
definition of "Jet skis" the following definition:-
"Kayak", a lightweight boat that is covered, except for a single
of double opening in the center thereof, and is propelled by a paddle.
SECTION 2. Said chapter 90B is hereby further amended by inserting
after section 5B the following section:-
Section 5C. A person aboard a kayak shall wear at all times a
TYPE I, II or III personal flotation device in good and serviceable
condition.
SECTION 3. Section 11 of said chapter 90B, as so appearing is hereby
amended by adding the following clause:-
(q) Require safety equipment aboard any kayak, which shall include a
personal flotation device on each kayaker, as required by section 5C,
and may include a compass and a whistle.
SECTION 4. Said chapter 90B is hereby further amended by inserting
after section 13A the following section:-
Section 13B. Anyone who holds himself out as a kayak instructor
for hire shall obtain and maintain: (i) first aid training approved by
the department of public health; (ii) cardiopulmonary resuscitation
training approved by the department of public health; and (iii) kayak
instructor certification from the American Canoe Association, or
equivalent water training.
The instructor shall train students on the safety procedures
appropriate to the level of paddling difficulty. Before a student is
instructed in water deeper than 5 feet. He shall receive wet exit
training, which is practice escaping from a kayak while submerged in a
controlled water setting. Wet exit training shall not be required if
the student is using a sealed-hull, sit-on-top or open-decked kayak in
which no part of the student's body is enclosed by the kayak or a kayak
skirt.
>A liability release that limits an instructor's responsibility
to comply with this section shall be void.
Quick blog .......
Molly Benjamin was
someone who championed everything good that there is about outdoor life and
sport on Cape Cod. She was always an informative and
entertaining read to expert and novice alike.
R.I.P.
Hello Goose.com,
We have had a good amount of hits so far on the blog. Hope you all enjoy it.
I have acquired some interesting links for you all....here goes.....
1) Evidently the US fish and wildlife service wants YOU to help THEM define
the word "disturb" in relation to Bald Eagles...........to help explain
disturbed
CLICK HERE
2) Great gift for duck
hunting enthusiasts,
CLICK HERE for Federal Duck Stamps.
3) This site looks like it has allot of interesting news and info on tackle.
CLICK
HERE for Tackle Tour.
4) Pretty cool stuff from the USGS. That's United States Geological Survey
(I didn't know that either). A ton of info about our state, real time
water data and some interesting stuff.
CLICK HERE
Did you know there is
bill pending in Massachusetts that will affect all you paddlers out there?
It is called the Kayakers Safety Bill. It is sponsored by Rep Gomes and
Rep. Straus and Senator O'Leary
The latest update on
the bill’s status is: The sponsors of the bill are pushing hard to pass the
bill while the House is only meeting in informal session. Rep Kay Khan is
blocking the bill from passing but she is coming under pressure to let the
bill pass.
Section 1 of the bill
means that: you as a kayaker will be required to wear a PFD AT ALL TIMES.
Personally and as an instructor I do not disagree with that I always wear a
PFD. What I do have a problem with is:
1-Why just kayaks why not
canoes, rowboats, surf skis, paddle boats, heck why not surf boards! Look
at this to see how crazy and confusing this is:
CLICK HERE to see..
2-It seems a lot of noise and
enforcement issues over a very limited number of incidents. Do the coast
guard and harbor masters not have enough to do without writing tickets to
kayakers? Attached are some statistics regarding boating and kayak
fatalities. That’s a lot of tax money on a small number!
CLICK HERE for a
fatality spreadsheet Essentially in Massachusetts waters since
1998 twenty people have died in canoes, 11 people in rowboats and 8 people
in kayaks. Five of the people who died in canoes died in coastal waters and
more than three times the number of people have died in canoes and rowboats
than in kayaks
3-And, this is just my
opinion; I have an issue with the government regulating my “supposed”
safety. I should (and do) be able to make those decisions myself.
However, given all
that if the bill were written to include all hand powered craft I would
support this section of the bill. As it stands now it is singles out
kayaks, is confusing and not enforceable.
Section 2 of the bill wants to require all
kayakers to carry a compass and a whistle. Again there are several problems
with this.
1.Mass boating regulations
already require that all boats carry a whistle and the Mass. Environmental
police are currently enforcing this regulation.
2.Carrying a compass does make
sense in some situations on the ocean but it is just as important for people
in canoes and rowboats to carry a compass when they are on the ocean and
carrying a compass makes no sense if you are paddling on a river or pond.
Choosing the correct safety equipment depends on where and when you are
paddling and can not be mandated by the legislature.
Section 3 deals with kayak instruction and
states anyone who holds himself out as a kayak instructor for hire shall
obtain and maintain: (i) first aid training approved by the department of
public health; (ii) cardiopulmonary resuscitation training approved by the
department of public health; and (iii) kayak instructor certification from
the American Canoe Association, American Red Cross certification in small
craft safety and basic water rescue, or equivalent water training.
1.Well this is good! I have
CPR and First Aid and several personal awards and coaching certifications in
placid and open water from the BCU. British Canoe Union. Uh-oh not the ACA.
Guess I have to give up teaching. Funny the BCU is a world recognized
standards body that certifies instructors in all paddle sports all over the
world. The British Canoe Union (BCU) is the Governing Body for the sport
and recreation of canoeing and kayaking in the UK. It represents the
interests of canoeists at local, national and international level, and is a
member of the International Canoe Federation. Guess that doesn’t count.
2.BCU Coaches teach, train and
access to very high standards and those standards are the same all over the
world. We work very hard to get and keep our certifications. I guess the
government knows much more about paddle sports certifications than I do. If
you are interested in learning more about the BCU look here
www.bcuna.org or even more if you look here
www.bcu.org.uk
Section 3 also states any course of kayak
instruction shall include, but not be limited to; (i) the safety procedures
appropriate to the level of kayak paddling difficulty; and (ii) wet exit
training, which training shall be conducted prior to a student operating a
kayak unsupervised or in water deeper than 5 feet. Wet exit training shall
consist of practice escaping from a kayak while submerged in a controlled
water setting. Wet exit training shall not be required by this section if
the kayak to be utilized by the student during the training is a
sealed-hull, sit-on-top or open-decked kayak in which no part of the kayaker
body is covered or enclosed within the cockpit, or center opening of the
kayak.
A liability release that limits an
instructor’s responsibility to comply with this section shall be void.
1. This means
that all you guys who want to take a lesson in a kayak, say a nice stable
day touring kayak like we teach in will need to do a wet exit as the very
first part of our lesson. Why, because town cove is more than 5 feet deep,
so is most water out here unless we rope off small sections near the shore
and stay in them…at low tide…
2. And if you
are not comfortable doing a wet exit, according to the law I have to send
you home. No lesson!
3. I think
this is the craziest part of the bill. We do teach water safety, wet exits,
rescues all that. We don’t force people to do it, we encourage. We do it at
the end of class when folks are more comfortable and won’t have to spend the
whole class wet. By the way this law says I only have to teach you a wet
exit, not how to get back in the boat! That’s useful.
So that’s the general idea of the bill.
You can read my letter my representatives here
CLICK HERE for
the letter I wrote. If you don’t agree with parts or even all of the bill I
would encourage you to exercise your democratic rights and express that
opinion to your state reps. Write, call email anything that works to help
improve this Bill to one we can all live with and still enjoy our sport.
There are
several considerations to buying a first kayak. Kayaks come in different
categories: Recreational, Day Touring and Ocean or Performance Touring. The
type of kayak you should buy is not based on whether you are new to the
sport, a beginner or experienced but rather on what you want to do with the
boat. Basically different types of boats are designed for different
environments and uses. To start down the path two important questions to
think about would be:
Where do I want to use
this kayak? Where do I
see myself going with my skill level?
The answers
to these questions will shed a lot of light on the type of boat you should
consider. Some things to remember as you think about these questions are:
Ponds, lakes,
and small rivers are very different from bays, harbors and the ocean as far
as wind and currents go. You can take the highest end boat into a pond and
have a great time but you can not take a pond boat safely into water with
more challenging elements.
If you want
to advance your skills both for enjoyment of the sport as well as more
challenging water conditions consider buying a boat you can grow into. Make
sure the boat has the features you will need to learn and practice new
skills.
The following
information should help you get started identifying the boat that is right
for you.
RECREATIONAL KAYAKS
These boats
are typically 12 feet and under and 27-30 inches wide. These kayaks are
designed for and well suited for flat water such as ponds small lakes, small
rivers
