The BIG GIRLS BITE is on!

[Capt. G]

The weatherman forced me to reschedule Saturday's charter as I couldn't guarantee the guys I could get them out on the grounds. With the price of fuel I would hate to see anyone drive hundreds of miles only to find sea conditions would not allow us to sail. As it turned out the weatherman was wrong (what else is new) but I would make the same decision again.

Yesterday, Sunday May 18th, Ed and the gang from Connecticut came aboard the Lady Diane and we headed out of the harbor at 0600. I really couldn't decide in which direction to head as last week's scouting trip told me there was a good body of fish on Jeffreys and I knew the inside grounds should be coming alive with whale cod moving in for the annual spawn cycle. I decided to give a couple buddies the numbers to the inside grounds and have them work it while I stayed offshore.

As I rounded Eastern point I made a last minute decision and turned for Stellwagen. Why I did this I cannot say but sometimes I just get a feeling about the fish. We made a brief stop on a piece of bottom inside where last week another boat took a 78lb whale cod but after 20 minutes of no bites and watching six other charter boats experiencing the same action, we reeled in and steamed to Stellwagen.

The northwest corner was a parking lot of both party boats and recreational fisherman so we stopped to see what was going on. Short cod was all we found so I started heading east. Next stop started producing what we came for...good market cod in the 10-12 lb range and silvery bug eyes (haddock) in the 5-8 lb class. The rest of the day I just moved along the edge from school to school and Ed and the boys (who are excellent fisherman) kept putting them in the boat...they caught....I cut...the slam was on! Jigs with my custom made teaser flys were the top producer today.

When we left for the barn around 1500, I put the Lady Diane on autopilot as I cut fish all the way to the harbor. Back at the dock, the guys loaded their cooler with over 110 lbs of haddock and cod fillet which at today's market prices was worth more than double the cost of their charter.

On the way home from the harbor my scout teams, who fished the inside grounds, each called to tell me that I was right and the whale cod bite in on. Both boats had fish to 50 lbs and one hit the 60lb mark!

Customers always ask when is the best time to go fishing and I respond when they are BITING! The giant cod are on a great bite so NOW IS THE TIME TO GO FISHING. The next 10-14 days will give you a great chance to put the biggest cod you have ever caught on the deck so give me a call and I will help you stick the fish of a lifetime!

[AlloyToy]

Good post Capt. George. The Haddock bite to the east has help up quite well this year.

Did you have many throw back haddock?

Those CODZILLA'S are HUGE!!! :shock:

[Ironwoodtuna]

Nice fishing Gman,

How far to the east are you fishing? How deep? and I assume drifting!? mty

[Capt. G]

Nice thing was that every haddock we took was a keeper and most in the 5-8 lb range.

I am fishing about 3-4 miles south east from where the maddening crowds lie.

[capeannfisherman]

Capt. G
Where are you launching tomorrow? We should see you out there.
Adrian

[Capt. G]

Gloucester. My sports want haddock and markets not really interested in trophy hunting. Looks like Saturday I join the crowd as those guys want to put a whale in the boat.

Good luck tomorrow Adrian...leave one or two for the rest of us :D