We departed Gloucester Harbor at 0500 and headed for the grounds. The seas held a slight swell from the south with a 1-2 chop on top which were much nicer conditions than the previous day’s adventure. I brought the Lady D up to a 22knot cruise and steered for the area I had left them the day before. Along the way a wave caught me by surprise and I washed the stern seating area pretty good. I expected to see two pretty miserable customers but to my surprise Lindsey was laughing out loud saying how great it was…huh??? I dropped some curtains to give them more protection and scratched my head saying whats up with this girl!

When we approached the area I noticed a lack of feeding activity but the sounder did sure some great marks by the big boys so we decided to try for tuna for about an hour. I showed the crew how to set the troll lines and found out that Lindsey had done duty with the US Coast Guard and knew how to hold course. So as Lindsey manned the helm Richard and I set the lines and we proceeded to go Tuna Wishin.

Today was the Full Moon and even though the marks were there, the tuna would not feed. In fact even the stripers were not interested in our offerings. Around 0700 we reached the cod grounds so we brought in the troll lines and broke out the cod rods.

After a brief explanation of the reels mechanics Richard and Lindsey dropped their jigs to the bottom. We were all by ourselves and within seconds of reaching bottom Lindsey hooked up. “I GOT HIM” I hear her yell and the fight beings.

Showing perfect form she reels like a pro!

And within a few minutes lands her first cod ever

And that’s the way the day went…Lindsey…aka THE FISHING MACHINE…put on a clinic on sticking cod after cod after cod . Every fish was announced with a yell of excitement and laughter as she slammed the cod as hard as any fisherman I have ever had on board the Lady Diane.

Richard did he best to keep up and actually managed to “steal” a couple nice markets before “The Machine” could stick em.

By 0900, a little over 2 hours of cod fishing the boat limit of 30 cod was reached. For the last few fish Richard waved the white flag, grabbed his camera and recorded the action. “The Machine” caught them and I gaffed them…it was GREAT !

With our cod limit in the box I decide to run to the southern haddock grounds and look for tuna as well. It was interesting that no matter where we went we caught fish including cod (all released), pollack, cusk, and even a nice 10 lb wolf (I don’t have to tell you who caught that one do I) but we never put a haddock in the boat. Maybe the full moon tide, maybe the deep water (260’+) needs to warm up a bit, or perhaps the swarms of dogs we observed were just too much for them to turn on.

During the day we covered many miles and did see some busting tuna but never did hook up. The gannets in one area produced an awesome show of deep water diving and they strafed from high above and plunged into the depths taking bait fish the tuna had balled up. Whales fed all around us at time during the day and Richard and Lindsey had a great time getting up close and personal to these magnificent creatures.

We arrived back in Gloucester Harbor around 1500 and although the charter was over I asked the crew if they had ever seen a lobster trap pulled and if they would like to do so. With an affirmative and enthusiastic response I pulled up to my first pot and showed them how it was done. No keepers in the first one, but Lindsey wanted to try her luck. She snagged the buoy like a pro and hauled line like a former Coast Guard member and of course you know whenshe opened the trap it contained a keeper bug….”The Machine” can even catch lobsters!

We finally tied up to the slip around 1600 and Richard and Lindsey loaded 110lbs of cod fillet and another 10 lbs of cusk,pollack, and wolfish into their coolers and headed home to the hills of Vermont.

Today’s charter was special because it reminded me of why I chose to do this. My enjoyment comes from taking people fishing who love to fish and watch the excitement they display with each and every hook up. If you look at the photos of Lindsey you will note they have one thing in common…a great smile on her face in each and every one. It didn’t matter if the fish was big or small, whether she was driving the boat or riding in the bow on a fast cruise she truly loved the experience for what it was.   Fishing is more than catching fish and I love having the opportunity to let my customers discover what a great place the ocean is and the wonders it contains. Some days the catching may be slow but the sea has much more to offer if you simply open your eyes and take it all in.

Tight lines