Friday August 13th Night Blue Fishing 7:30-12:00pm Well, if you're looking for some overly exciting fishing for a Friday evening, blue fishing is where its at.  We had another banner trip aboard the Lady Sea catching fast and fat bluefish.  Again, we started out at the groaner with a bucket of finely cut chum and some fresh herring cut up for chunk bait.  Our first drift lasted approximately two hours, with what I have figured out to be a one fish every seven minute average.  Which considering our crew of eight kids under the age of sixteen, and the rest adults, is unbelievable.  This has been by far the best blue fishing that we have seen off of Gloucester in years, and as of right now it seems to show no signs of slowing down.  But be warned: this could change at the drop of a dime.  Considering that Bluefish travel very fast, and are capable of going very far in short spans of time, you should be booking on these trips asap.  Give us a call and book a trip, we limit these trips to twenty five anglers in order to keep the rail space manageable and comfortable.  Right now we are averaging about three to five feet of space per angler, and that's the way we shall keep it.  There won't be many more of the trips, a number that is obviously directly related to the presence of fish.  The bluefish will hopefully be around right through September, but there is just no way to predict what will happen, Get on board for a trip.  Get a rod.  Get some bait.  And get hooked up. Fair winds and fine sailing, Captain Michael Mann, and the crew of the Lady Sea Saturday August 7th Night Blue Fishing 7:30-12:00 The first night blue trip of the year was an astounding success.  We ended the night with 20 blue fish, and 1 monster stripped bass.  The Blue's ranged from 8 to 13 pounds, and the Stripper was a cool 30 pounds.    With 25 anglers on board (our maximum amount of passengers allowed for these specialty trips) the fishing was comfortable and effective.  Even with everyone on one side of the boat, there was plenty of room at the rail.  We used herring for both our chum brine, and our chunk bait.  We scouted the harbor itself, but ended up making our first couple of drifts out at the groaner buoy approximately 1/2 mile outside of the Dog Bar Breakwater, weaving our way in and out of the multitude of lobster pots located in that area.  Using 8 inch steel leaders with 7/0 barbed hooks and 4/0 swivels, provide just enough sink to get the baits a couple of feet down into the water column, placing them right in front of the fish's faces.     Keep an eye on the specials page that is located on a link off of our home page for updates on our next blue trips to come.  We are running one on Friday night of this week, August 13th, from 7:30-12:00pm, so keep your eyes open for any changes, or call us to make a reservation.  Make sure that if you are planning on attending, you make a reservation, because we are only booking up to 25 passengers, so space is very limited, and going fast.  Best Wishes, and Happy Angling, Captain Mike Mann, and the crew of the M/V Lady Sea
David Goewey
Sent:	Fri 7/23/10 3:24 PM
To:	gloucesterfleet@live.com

Fri June 26th, 3/4 day

We had a good day on the Lady Sea today, with fifteen people on the boat, and fifty fish caught.  Codfish was the word of the day, with the better part of 15 coming over the rail that weighed more than 10 pounds.  Although, we had some really nice haddock as well.  Cusk and dogfish made up the rest of the catch, with dogfish leading the pack throughout the day.  Advice to the wise: we use sea clams for a reason, that reason is that they have no blood to act as an extra attractant for the dogfish.  If you are thinking about  bringing your own bait on board, don't.  Herring and Mackeral have a nasty tendency to bring the dogfish in faster, and keep them around longer.

Hope your trips are going as well as ours,

Capt. Michael Mann, and the family and crew

June 13, 2010 All Day 7-4

Another wonderful day aboard the Lady Sea.  We had a charter today, with John Catania and the boys from Billerica, and what a day it turned out to be.  We were a little late getting off the dock, so we didn't start fishing until 930, but once we did start the fishing was unbeatable.  Our first stop lasted 2 and a half hours.  In that two and a half hours we put approximately one hundred fish on the boat.  It was one fish after another, with roughly five guys hooked up at any given time.  Haddock was the word of the day again, with that beautiful fish accounting for more than 70 percent of the fish we caught.  Cod and cusck were mixed in, with some really nice market size cod between 8 and 15 pounds.  Some of the guys were using jigs, and in doing so locked up the cod count for the day.  On the jigs, a lot of small cod were caught, and also a couple of large pollock as well. 

The weather was actually not that bad, with the day being overcast and a little drizzly.  But it made for perfect fishing conditions, even though we had to anchor up all day.  Today was a little bit better than the average lately, however fishing on the whole has been very good as of late.  So, if your looking for pretty reliable fishing, a comfortable boat, and an experienced captain and crew, give us a call and well hook you up.

Looking forward to hearing from you guys,

Captain Michael Mann, and the Crew of the Lady Sea

May 31, 2010 All Day 7-4

The Holiday was a great day for fishing.  We had excellent conditions for drifting, and we only had 15 people fishing at the rail.  We fished on top of Tillies ledge, drifting at about 6 tenths of a knot all day long.  We had some really well versed fishierman on board, who payed attention to what Archie and myselfe told them to do.  We started our drift in 250 ft of water, and continued it all the way to 350ft, cathcing a mix of cod and haddock the whole way.  We actually had 7 doublr header haddock/cod catches come over the rail, and a couple of twenty pounders aswell.  But Haddock was the main catch of the day.  As far as bait or jig was concerned, both types of gear produced fish throughout the entire day.  We ended up with 140 fish for 15 people, not too shabby. 

Happy hunting,

Capt. Michael Mann 

May 10th, 2010 All Day 7-4
40 Degrees, Northwest Winds 10-15 Knots
Catfish Count:1

   ONE WORD: COLD!!!! Man, October aparently came early this year! Oh wait, its just freezing in May. When you come down the boat in May and there's frost on the deck, those are the days i wish i still worked in Key West this time of year.
   Anyway, onto the fishing report that you've all come to expect. I think. The fishing today was great. Capt Marco, a full time Tug Boat captain and part time Lady Sea skipper, came out of retirement for the day and Capt Mike came down to the deck to help me out. It was like a "Yankee Capts" reunion and it was a blast. I had a great group of anglers, great galley girl and an All-Star crew. Add a few fish to the mix and some nice weather and it was laughs and bent rods all day.
    We fished between 220 ft and 240 ft all day and stayed on the anchor. The wind was blowing pretty good and it made the water a little sloppy. The first 3 stops we stayed on each an average of an hour if not more. There was just no reason to move the boat as you never leave fish to find fish. The afternoon proved to be a little more trying but Capt Marco put us on the meat all day. Most people had 4 or 5 fish to take home and the pool winner was a 12 lb Cod. The Haddock havent really been around too much compared to a few months ago when we were commercial fishing and we couldnt get away from them! The weather for Tuesday is shaping up to be decent and it'll be a couple days off after that. All in all, the fishing has been great when the weather has cooperated. Call 978.559.1978 for info and tix!!! More when i can and thanks for looking.
                                                                                    Archie
                                                                deckhand/engineer M/V "Lady Sea"
                                                
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MAY 8th, 2010    All Day 7-4
60 Degrees, Northwest winds 10-20
Catfish Count:1

   Greetings from the Lady Sea Command Post. We steamed back from todays trip a little early due to the weather. With this broadband card that the company purchased, i can write these on the boat rather than in my kitchen from now on.
   The day started out with the wind kickin and a rough sea to go with it. We managed to anchor the boat with little effort and we got on the fish quick. The bite was touchy at first but progressed as the time went on. The jigs were the way to go and everyone, bait or jig, managed some nice market cod and some BEAUTIFUL haddock. The pool winner today was a 25 LB codfish and that was nice to see.
     As the day went on, the weather started to die down a little bit and the bite increased but by 1:00pm the customers we're seasick enough that we decided to head in a little early. The weather report was looking like the wind was gonna come on again too so it was in the best interest of everyone to get back to the dock. Everyone had enough fish and it was a good call. We have tomorrow (sunday) off and we're gonna be back at it Monday and Tuesday. More when i can, thanks for looking.
                                                                                               Arch
                                                                           Deckhand - M/V "Lady Sea"

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May 3rd, 2010
66 Degrees - SouthWest Winds 10-15, Gusts to 20 KNOTS
Catfish Count: 1

     So after a few days of good fishing and better weather it was once again time for Mother Nature to ruin a day of fishing for us. We started out down the Bank and just couldnt get a bite going. The worst part of today was that we had a good group of guys that are very good fisherman and Fisherwomen (Sharon) and a few Charter fisherman from Rhode Island and even they couldnt manage to catch more than a couple all day. Hey, you can put the boat over fish all day, have a crew of seasoned fisherman onboard and if the fish dont want to bite, they wont. What can you do? You move the boat every 20-30 minutes, try diffferent areas, move miles at a time if you have too, thats what we did and it didnt make a difference.
   All day, it was a little overcast and the wind was there. We had to anchor all day and we couldnt figure out what the problem was.  Bait wasnt working and neither were the jigs. Definetly not the fishing youd expect for May. We moved all over the place, miles at time, talked to different boats in the area and they werent fairing any better, trust me. A close friend of ours who shall remain nameless was ready to hang it up after the day he had today. No bite, lots of tangles, lots of spider wire not making the tangles any easier (for the record, spider wire is terrible on party boats. Ya, i said it.) and the day just wasnt getting any better. 100 ft, 200 ft, 250 ft, 280, etc and nothing coming over the railing, It gets frustrating.
    Then came the wind. About 1:30pm, we were making one of our many moves and a front that looked about 30 miles long and was all black behind it came through. It started screaming 35-40 Knots out of the West for about 15 minutes and man did it make some crazy noises in the rigging and over the mast. The fishing was spotty enough and after that it was time to throw in the towel. The fishing generally goes to hell after a storm like that moves through and after the morning we had, thatd didnt leave us much hope. We stuck it out and made our way home with some fish but not enough brag about. Thats why they call it fishing not catching. Everyone took it in stride and that was nice, let me tell ya. Pool winner was a 11 Lb Codfish and today ended our busy week. We have a few days off and Capt Mike and I have some work to do this week with the tackle and in the engine room. Feel free to bring us coffee if youre driving around Gloucester, Thansk for looking. More when i can.    

                                                                                              ------ Arch
                                                                                     Deckhand/Grease Monkey
                                                                                           M/V "Lady Sea"
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May 1st, 2010
55 Degrees - 6-5 Marathon
Catfish Count: 1

     MARATHON TIME! As one of the guys on deck, i have a well documented love / hate relationship with the infamous "Marathon".  Lets be honest, for us its a very long day of running around, untangling lines, gaffing fish and for you its more time reeling up over and over again.... Its great isnt it?? :)  Whats better than more fishing time, a limited load crowd (we only carry 38 ppl MAX on ALL fishing trips), hitting fishing spots that you cant reach on a normal 7-4, spending more time with your buddies at the rail havin a few beers. Life is good right??       
    Anyway, the day was great. It started off nice and warm, kept right up in the afternoon and kept going. The morning started off fair, picking a few off each stop. The wind had completely died down and we were able to drift all day. Around 10ish, we made about 4 drifts in a row and hammered the Cod. As soon as the Jigs hit the bottom (we had rigged almost everyone up with a jig) they were hooking up. It was nice to look down the side of the boat and see the rods bent over and people having a blast.
    The problem with Spring fishing is that we are NOT the only boat who knows that Stellwagen Bank is a "Hot Spot" in April and May. I counted 139 boats of all diffeent sizes around us at one point. Imagine the nightmare of trying to operate a 75 ft Party Boat around 20 ft skiffs, other big party boats and lobster boats and trying to drift over the numbers you had gone down the previous drift. It was a challenge, but Capt Mike pulled it off. Steady numbers came over the railing all day with limited tangles and barely any Dogs. The afternoon was more of the same with nice Cod and Pollock along with some Haddock mixed in as well. After a long day, the pool winner was a 14 LB Codfish and it was a CLOSE call... A lot of fish were caught around the same weight that day, so i put the balance beam to good use and managed to show off my skill for guessing fish weights. Lucky me huh?? The fish are here, the trips are booking up, call us @ 978.559.1978 for Info, Tickets or Specials on our All Day, Marathons, Charters and Half Day trips that start in June. More when i can. Thanks for looking.

                                                                                             Regards,
                                                                                              Archie
                                                                                     deckhand/engineer
                                                                                       M/V "Lady Sea"

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April 30th, 2010
70 Degrees - Westerly 20-25 KNOTS / 7-4 All Day Trip
Catfish Count: 1

      SO! We didnt get blown out today but the wind was definetly still honkin this morning and the reminence of the previous 2 days were felt by all onboard. Wed. & Thurs were cancelled due to screamin Nor'westerly winds and that seemed to kick off a bite but you had to work at it. The people that kept the Jigs moving through the rough seas in the mornign were rewarded with some nice market Cod and some  Pollock. The bait was getting a few but all in all it was a jig day.
    The afternoon saw the winds die down significantly and the fishing stayed the same. Not fast and furious but a steady pick for all. Nice numbers of Markets were coming over the railing and noone could complain. Even the passengers affected by the rough weather in the morning managed to make it to the rail by noon time and get a line wet.
    The pool winner was a 12 LB Cod. and we'll be back out tomorrow for the seasons first Marathon. BTW, had a great group of guys on the boat today. Its days like today that make working on a Party Fishing Boat worth it. It can be trying at times but its all worth it when you walk off the boat at the end of the day. More when in can...

                                                                                        Arch
                                                                              "M/V Lady Sea"

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APRIL 28th & 29th, 2010
43 Degrees - Westerly 20-25 KNOTS Gusts to 35 KNOTS / 7-4 All Day Trip(s)
Catfish Count: 1
         
       PLEASE READ!!!!! THE GAS YOU SAVE MAY BE YOUR OWN!!!

        Well,  yesterdays trip and todays were cancelled due to the weather. Unfortunatley, Mother Nature hasn't wanted to cooperate with us the last couple days. With the forecast changing and getting worse every 6 hours, it just wasnt worth it to take people out, beat them up and take their money. Thats NOT how we do buisness. Plus the fishing this year hasnt been too productive when the weather has gone to hell and the barometer is in the basement. Botttom line is, we're going to try and reschedule todays charter and yesterdays 7-4 Open Boat trip for next week and we sincerely hope everyone comes back.
          Just a little heads up for people who charter our boat. Yesterday, we had a 7-4 open Boat trip that we had to cancel and we were able too the night before. Its a lot easier to make the call when we have to make the decision for you. With a charter its a little different. You pay appx $2,000 for a day of fishing and we give the head of the charter a little bit more of the say in the matter. We'll NEVER bring anyone out in bad weather that's unsafe but when you have a private charter and the people are a little more seasoned, we'll let them decide if they want to get beat up. Its not the boat or the crew that cant handle the weather, its more of a comfort thing. On 7-4 open boat trips, we get a lot of people who are new to Deep Sea Fishing. Maybe they've never fished on the ocean? It comes down too; Are you going to be comfortable? Are you going to be able to catch anything if the boat is jumping all over the place? Are half the passengers going to get sick? Are the passengers going to be able to move about the boat in a safe manner?
        The point im trying to make is this: we can cancel open boat trips easily, however charters tend to be a little harder. Capt Mike will always call the head of the charter the night before and explain the weather situation if neccessary.  If it doesnt look good, yet the head of the charter still wants to give it a try, thats fine. However, we have a pretty good idea of when the weather is going to be bearable, and when its not.  Ultimatley its the Captains decision.  Northwest 20-25 Gusts to 35 doesnt make for a nice day.  By telling you guys the day before, we are trying to save the people from Vermont, New Hampshire, and elswhere a 6 hour drive just too be turned away at the dock because the forecast was terrible (and right).  If  Capt Mike or anyone in from the office calls you the night before and says you might want to reschedule, its for a reason!  We'll go in some crappy weather but there's a point when we have to call it and try again next week.  We do this EVERYDAY and we have a good idea when the weather is just too much to get off the dock for a productive day of fishing, sun-bathing, or 12 oz curls. :)  But, as always, im just the deckhand, You dont have to take my word for it... Thanks for looking, more when i can.

                                                                                                 Arch
                                                                                         M/V "Lady Sea"

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APRIL 24th, 2010
50 Degrees - Southwest 10-15 KNOTS / 7-4 ALL DAY TRIP
CATFISH COUNT: 1

 Another full day trip in the books. The fishing today was at best, spotty. Just one of those days where there were piles of fish under the boat but we just didnt see a bite all day. It was a slow pick and there was one problem that was with us all day: TIDE. The tide was vicious all day and the lines were all over the place. We tried drifting, motor drifting (using the engines in fwd. and reverse to keep the lines straight up and down) and anchoring, shoal water and deep water, jigs and bait etc and we just couldnt get the bite we wanted. The last few drifts, we ended up on top of the Bank in about 100 ft. of water, 20 boats all around us and we got some nice Pollock which ended up filling some fillet bags for most of the customers.
   The first few stops we had to anchor. The wind was blowing a little and we tried dropping a line to see if drifitng we be ok or too much of a nightmare. The current was moving so we dropped the hook and managed to catch some nice Market Cod. Also in the mix of the first couple stops were some nice Pollock and Haddock as well. As the day went on the wind died down and we talked to some other boats in the area who were drifting so Capt Mike decided to give it a shot... The lines were ok and the anglers managed to hold bottom with 16oz - 20 oz sinkers. The fishing was just as spotty on the drift and Capt Mike told everyone that we would continue to reel the lines up and move if the fishing didnt pick up. We'll NEVER leave fish to find fish but if the fishing is slow, we'll move every 20 minutes if we have too in order to find you the quality fishing youve come to expect from us.
   So the afternoon didnt end up being any different than the morning. Slow pick, lots of current and moving the boat. At around 12:45, I moved the boat about 3 miles back up on top of the bank after we had left there earlier to try some deep water. Capt Mike took over and we drifted around some small boats and started to pick some nice Pollock and a few Codfish. The bite picked up right as we were getting ready to leave for home, so Capt Mike stayed a couple minutes extra to give the cutomers a little extra time. This managed to get a couple more nice fish on the boat and the day was done.
    Pool winner was a 17 LB Pollock and everyone left with dinner. All in all the weather was nice but it goes back to what ive said in my previous reports: In order to catch a lot of fish, a lot of things need to happen in the correct order. One thing being out of whack, which today was the tide, can throw the whole day off and make you move the boat like crazy trying to catch some fish rather than slaying them like we did 4 days earlier. Thats why they call it fishing NOT catching. The fish are there and we'll get back on them! We have a busy week coming up at the Gloucester Fleet this week. We're running trips Wed. through Monday with some Charters mixed in, so call the office for details, info, trip dates and times at 978.559.1978 or check out gloucesterfleet.com. BTW, for anyone interested, ill be putting a "Catfish Count" on each trip report from now on. Thanks for looking. More when i can...
                                                                
                                                                       Regards and Tight Lines,
                                                                                    Arch
                                                                           1st Mate/Engineer
                                                                            M/V "Lady Sea"
                                                                                   


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   April 20th, 2010
55 Degrees - Southerly 5-10 KNOTS / 7-4 ALL DAY TRIP

    FINALLY!!!!! The spring fishing that we all know and expected arrived today and it came with a BANG! It just goes to show you that when you have all the elements working with you instead of against you, that there are plenty of fish to be caught. Mother Nature calmed down after blowing us out for a few days and with light and variable winds, very little current and a little hard work on the angler's part, we we're able to put a VERY successful trip in the books. If variety was what you were looking for today, you got it. Codfish, Haddock and a lot of Pollock we're filling the coolers and the fillet bags at the end of the day.
   We started the day off drifting and didnt have to set the anchor once, which i will NEVER complain about. Not only does it let my arms relax (ya, we have a hydraulic winch. So what? YOU try it. LOL) but it lets us cover more bottom (we're moving along at a slow speed) instead of sitting on one spot while anchored and we also dont have to spend any time hauling and setting the anchor (which means more time at the rail for YOU). We made quite a few drifts today and the fish came fast and furious. As quick as you could get the Jig to the bottom, you we're hooking up. Yup, i said Jig. Last week we couldnt get catch ANYTHING on the Jigs, it was all bait fishing. 3 days later and Jigs were hammering the Cod and Pollock. 
    Fishing down the bank can be funny sometimes. The problem is that a lot of times, fish that are hanging out there are full of sand eels which is the same reason the whales go there. When the fish are full of bait, they can be a little picky on what they want to eat. The other day when we hauled fish to the rail, they were puking up mouthloads of sand eels and today they weren't. Call me crazy but i think that has a lot to do with it. Most of the day was spent drifiting in the same general area in about 100 feet of water which is great. Less time to reel in and quicker to get back to the bottom. Not many Dogfish either. We've seen them on every trip now and they're not that bothersome yet. If you're paying attention and keep your bait or jig right down close to the bottom then you shouldnt have a problem with the dogs. If you're doing 12 oz. curls and leaving your rod in the rod holder while you go to the head, you're going to catch a few. Just sayin...
    The piles of fish on this edge we worked today we're more spread out too. Instead of 1 pile, you had multiple in a row which was great considering the conditions. The drift might start slow but within minutes it picked up, then might slow down, then pick back up. You get the idea. Capt. Mike put the guys (and girls) on the meat today and i even managed to get off deck and up in the wheelhouse for a move. Fishing like today should be around for a couple months SO TAKE ADVANTAGE of it! Call 978.559.1978 for INFO and Tix or go back to the homepage here at gloucesterfleet.com.
     BOTTOM LINE: Fishing is excellent, we have the area dialed in and as long as the weather cooperates with us, we'll be seeing trips like this for weeks to come. For anyone interested, the Catfish count is still at one. We didnt catch ANY today so for all anglers concerned about what that new rule would mean for your trip you booked, worry not my friends, we focus on Cod and Haddock and Pollock. Catfish (Wolffish) were always just an added bonus. Pool Winner today was a 17 LB Cod but there were a lot of Pollock that were close in weight. Next trip is Saturday morning, 7-4. Call the office to inquire about trip dates and times. Thanks for looking.                                                               

                                                                       Regards and tight lines,
                
                                                                                    Arch
                                                                           1st Mate/Engineer
                                                                            M/V "Lady Sea"
       

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April 17th, 2010
45 Degrees - 15-20 KNTS with GUSTS to 30 KNTS.

 TRIP HAS BEEN CANCELLED DUE TO WEATHER. NEXT TRIP IS TUESDAY, APRIL 20TH/ CHECK BACK FOR MORE FISHING REPORTS AND OTHER INFO. THANKS, ARCHIE.

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April 16th, 2010
38 degrees - Winds: Southeast 10-15 KNOTS  / 7-4 ALL DAY TRIP

      After a decent trip to start the year off, Capt Mike still wanted to do some looking around at different areas. The fishing areas off of Gloucester are known for great spring fishing due to the fish returning here to spawn annually. The boat has the speed to change the areas completely if one spot isnt producing the numbers we'd like to see. After heading to the east yesterday and not seeing the numbers or the bite he'd wanted too, Capt Mike decided to head for the Bank to check out what was going on. Apparently, the fishing had been good down here because everyone and their brother who owned a center console decided to go there too. I counted 20 boats at one point and 3 of them might have been over 30 feet long.

       So we stayed at a distance and we're able to drift for the first time this season which is always great because you can cover more bottom (and i dont have to haul the anchor every time we move. HA). The first couple stops saw good numbers of Cod and a few Haddock but Cod seemed to be the catch for the day. After moving around a little bit, the current had picked up in the shoal water, so we moved a little deeper and we had to drop the hook. Once again, BAIT was the way to go. A few people brought there own shrimp to use which works fine too if you have access to them. The first stop on the anchor saw some nice markets with a couple Large cod mixed in. The rest of the day saw more of the same as the day before, a good pick but nothing fast and furious. We never saw much haddock down the bank either. We had a few nice ones but the Codfish were the catch along with some giant Redfish and a few Cusk.

        George DaMaris and his crew of 22 people managed to catch a lot of nice Codfish throughout the day and took home some nice fish. Mike Vermette was the pool winner with a 15LB Cod. Also, we didnt catch any Wolffish so the count for the season is one.

         Tomorrow we have a 7-4 charter booked but the weather looks like it's NOT going to cooperate. Northeast Winds 15-20 KNTS, Gusts to 30 KNTS! Tomorrow sounds like a nice day to sit on the couch! We'll see what happens. Here at the Gloucester Fleet, we pride ourselves on being Hardcore, Year Round, Professional Fisherman. If it was up to the crew, we would fish in any weather, any time, any season but we have to take into account the safety of the passengers as well as the boat and crew. We do our best to get your trip in but if Capt. Mike feels that the weather isn't going to be condusive to good fishing, we wont take you out, beat you up and take your money. All of our crew have worked on Party/Charter boats for many years up and down the East Coast, from Gloucester, Ma to New Bedford, MA. to Key West, Fl. We have worked on some of the premier offshore-overnight and day party boats and know what customers want. We've taken all our expirience working and fishing with other companies and incorporated it into what we feel is one of the finest Party Boat Fishing Operations on the East Coast. Call us at 978.559.1978 for INFO or Tickets!! This year is shaping up to be a great year for fishing and the phones are ringing. Make sure to call and make reservations!!

                                                                 Regards and tight lines,
                
                                                                          Arch
                                                                    1st Mate/Engineer
                                                                      M/V "Lady Sea"

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April 15th, 2010 - OPENING DAY!!!!!
42 Degrees - Winds: Easterly 15-20 KNOTS / 7-4 ALL DAY TRIP

       So, we finally got out of the boatyard and back in the water last week after a LONG winter. We spent the last month and a half in the Cape Ann Marina parking lot getting the boat ready for the 2010 fishing season and doing the normal spring cleaning and maintenance. After rewiring the generator, installing new gauges in the engine room, installing a new fresh water pump and painting the main engines and generator, i was anxious to get out of the engine room and back up on deck! The "Lady Sea" passed her annual USCG Safety inspection with flying colors and we we're ready to go fishing!

       6am Thursday morning came and the deck was a busy place to be. We had a full boat and everyone was stowing there gear, rigging there rods and cracking jokes. We departed a little after 7am and we steamed out to the fishing grounds in search of some Haddock. Capt. Mike and I both commercial fish during the winter months and during Feb. and Mar., Haddock made a great showing out to the East so Capt. Mike figured that would be a good place to begin the year.   

         After steaming for almost an hour and a half the engines slowed down and it was time to drop some lines. 99 percent of the boat was using bait and there were a few guys that were using jigs. To be honest, after seeing all the haddock all winter i was urging people to fish with bait. After the first two stops it was apparent that bait was the way to go. Jigs were not producing much more than sore arms.We made a few stops and picked away at some fish but didn't manage to get a solid bite going till around 11 which is when the wind also decided to start picking up.We didn't manage to drift at all and spent all day on the anchor. We were in depths of 190-240 ft all day and managed to stay away from the tide which was nice. At this point the wind had increased significantly and the boat was tossing quite a bit. The experienced anglers were having a tough time due to the wind let alone the few people on board who weren't as seasoned when it comes to fishing in a VERY choppy and confused sea. 

          We caught a nice 15 LB Catfish that had to be thrown back due to the new rule that states we can no longer keep them. Luckily, when Catfish are caught, they dont blow up with air like Codfish, so when you throw them back, the chances of them living and swimming back are really good. We still managed to pick a few more fish every stop but around 1:30pm, Capt.Mike had got an updated weather report and decided it was time to head in. The wind was starting to blow even more and the boat was moving a little too much, so we hauled the anchor and started the steam for home. 

           High Hook for the trip walked off the boat with quite a few haddock and the pool winner was an 11 LB Haddock. The pool winner would've been that 15 Lb Catfish but what can you do? Write your local Congressman and let your voice be heard! Even though the wind didn't let up and we hit the dock early, everyone walked off the boat with dinner and then some. All in all the 1st trip of the season aboard the "Lady Sea" was a success and it definitely let Capt. Mike get a feel for what the spring fishing was going to be like and where we would be setting up in the days to come. Just for any people wondering, BAIT was DEFINITELY the way to go. Don't spend the money on those goofy cod rigs either, we can make them up for you onboard with our Mono and hooks.We have another trip tomorrow which is full so check back for the report tomorrow night.
                                                              
                                                                 Regards and tight lines,
                
                                                                            Arch
                                                                    1st Mate/Engineer
                                                                      M/V "Lady Sea"

P.S.- The NMFS has recently put a rule into effect that basically states that Wolfish or Ocean Catfish are "Endangered" and no commercial or recreational vessel is allowed to keep them. Its an insane rule (in my opinion) but we have to do what the government says. The Catfish are always great to catch but Cod and Haddock are our "Bread and Butter" so this rule doesn't really affect us besides the fact that we have to release them. Catfish usually show up in certain areas and when they do we might see one or two Cats and then not see one for a week or so. Its business as usual on the "Lady Sea" and that's that. Thanks for looking, Arch.

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Hello All,

Its time to go fishing.  Although we here at the Gloucester Fleet have not had a trip yet this season, we are well in tune with the goings on of the fishing off of Gloucester up to this point.  And make no mistake about it, the fish are here, and they're here in force. 

Some of our crew, including myself, have the unique advantage of going commercial fishing all winter long, which gives me some great insight as to where the fish are hiding out come the start of our recreational season.  Both the haddock and the cod have shown up in the areas that we frequent this time of year.  While we got our limit of cod fish on every commercial trip for the last month, we came in the last two days of the season with 2500 of haddock each day.  So if you are looking to take part in what will most assuredly be our best fishing of the year, I suggest that you call and make your reservations now while there is still space available.  

Make sure that you check out our spring specials for both open-boat and charter trips, and if you are interested, call sooner than later.  We have adopted a new 38 angler maximum for our open-boat trips in order to ensure that everyone has ample room at the railing.  So the trips are filling up quickly. 

And, just as a reminder, there are some new rules that NMF has enforced upon us this year that everyone should be aware of: Wolfish/ocean-catfish are now on the endangered species list (this means that we are not allowed to keep any, no matter what size they are).  The size limits are the same as they were at the end of last year: 24 inches on cod, and 18 on haddock.  There is still a 10 cod fish bag limit per person. 

So give us a call and sign up for one of our buy one get one half price trips, or one of our charter specials, and get in on the best bottom fishing that we get throughout the season here in Gloucester.

                                                                   Best Hopes for Your Fishing Season

                      Captain Mike, Carolann and Booty, and the Crew of the Lady Sea