During the week I had received calls from two different Captains who were willing to share up to date information on what was occurring on the grounds. What I am really enjoying most about fishing from Gloucester is the Captains, who while very competitive by nature, are willing to work together to see that everyone succeeds. Unlike other harbors I have fished from and worked in,  these gentlemen  know that happy customers , no matter whose boat they fish on, mean good publicity about the harbor and that brings more fisherman to the docks.   I really appreciate working around and with professionals such as these men.

I decided to head again this day to Stellwagen Bank as the report (thank you Capt. Artie) of great cod fishing was too good to pass up. I have only fished on Stellwagen this season and I really don’t like fishing areas with customers that I have not fished previous to a charter.

 We arrived on the grounds around 0630 and started our first drift of the day. Jigs hit the bottom and jigs got eatin…nothing to it. Nice market cod and haddock started hitting the deck in a good steady pick. I moved further to the haddock grounds I fish and we targeted bugeyes for a couple more hours. An occasional market cod was added to the box and by 0900 I had to man the fillet table and the guys had filled the cooler.

The haddock bite subsided so I decided to run to the cod grounds I fished last weekend while waiting for the tide to turn. We did manage a few markets there and one haddock (the first I have ever caught on this part of Stellwagen) but the fishing was slow for my standards so I told the guys to break out their lunches as I was going to steam way south to where I was told a great cod bite had occurred the day before.

After a 30 minute ride I eased back on the throttle as I approached my numbers. The machine lit up like a Christmas tree with huge balls of bait (sand lance, herring) and fish below. Charles and Tom  grabbed my Trevala jig rods which they loved to fish with as they are so light and Ellery stuck with my Shimano 80 class (heavy duty) rods and the Crush began. Codfish slammed the offerings and soon the box was full and fish piled up on the deck

These cod fish are not huge trophy fish but are nice market cod in the range of 8-17 lbs.   Ellery nailed quite a few double headers along with numerous nice markets like this one.

These cod  are perfect for filling your freezer and when I fish for myself,  these are the fish I target. The big whale cod make for a great picture but are not nearly as good eating as the smaller fish. Also at this time of year the whale cod are preparing to spawn so if you can take a picture and then release them you are helping the fishery rebuild.

Within an hour the guys reached the day's limit for the boat on cod (40 fish today) so I decided to steer north and give them one final shot at the haddock while I got the boat ready for the run home. The weather started to go down hill as fog started to close in around us. My  radar and chartplotter would come in handy on the way home this day.

We stopped for about a half hour on the northern edge and the guys put another half dozen haddock in the boat. They also caught a few real nice market cod which we had to release as we were done cod fishing for the day. On Ellery’s last drop he hooked what seemed to be a nice fish. I thought he had a whoppa haddock when color first showed, but when he got it to the surface we had our first Whoppa Mama Dog of the season..a good 4 footer. Time to head for the barn!

A slow ride home with zero visibility and a good amount of traffic to steer through. I never saw the Annisquam river bridge until we were about 30 yards from passing under. The $10,000 worth of electronics I have on the Lady Diane is worth every penny that I paid especially in conditions such as these.

Once secured to the dock we unloaded the days catch. When you fish with me this is what your catch looks like after I fillet and package it for you. 

I even provide you with ice to take your fish home. This is all included in the price of the charter and I take special pride in the way I take care of your fish for you.

With smiles and fuller coolers (150 lbs cod 30 lbs hadock)

the guys headed off for Vermont knowing that they had indeed Crushed the Cod with Full Strike Anglers and Capt. George this day.