May 3rd...Whomever said...
Wind from the East...fish bite least
Wind from the West...fish bite best
had yesterday's trip nailed.
I greeted the Rob West party at docks and we departed Gloucester Harbor at 0600. As we rounded Eastern point a 10-15 knot easterly wind greeted us along with a closely spaced 2-4 foot chop. It was going to be a bumpy day for sure.
We arrived on the grounds and found the fish but again a majority of the fished hooked were sub legal cod. I noticed right away the many of the fish were fouled hooked and not taking the jigs as they had in the past two trips.
The wind continued to freshen in the morning and coupled with the very strong tide, conditions were very tough for the anglers.. These guys are good fisherman and worked hard all day even though the bite was way off. We moved around to different spots and because the crew refused to quit they finally managed to put some nice haddock the box along with a handful of market cod.
During the day the USCG was working the area doing numerous boarding of many of the larger party boats that were on the grounds. Although an inconvenience at times, these boardings remind us of the need to keep our boats up to spec in terms of safety gear and documentation. The guests on board and also reminded why even when the fishing is slow and the boxes not as full as we would like , we must still abide by the regulations in place including the release of all under size fish. Personally, I am glad the Coast Guard is out there and doing their job helping protect us and the fishery
We returned to the dock around 1400 and Rob and the guys put some nice haddock and cod fillets in their coolers to take home. Although I was disappointed in the lack of bite today, we still enjoyed a great charter and the guys are looking forward to the next trip when the wind is blowing from the WEST!
Tight Lines,
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