Epic fishing in Saltwater continue!

[Deaf Fisherman]

We was just out of harbor. oh man. we knew it was great day to fish!

I went out fishing last Saturday to Tuesday. Right out of harbor. too many whales and birds flocking around whales. couples of bonitos and BFT jumping around the baits. It wasn't over half mile yet. and this event was continue until I passed the 3 mile line. it is look like this.

we caught bunch monster size cods (speak of 15-25lbs cods) we got limited out each days. we did caught many pollocks, white hakes, redfish, and haddocks. biggest cod was caught around close to 30 pounds, 16 pound haddock, 11 pound pollock, and 15 pound cusk.

list of fish from top to bottom, Cusk/white hake/haddock.

Monday and Tuesday, we tried to chase for giant BFT after we get the cod limits. trolling around for less 30 minutes, two hits already! one hook got bend! second one is pulled the hook! well that's fishing! still see them jumping around. couple of them hitting on boat. due baits staying close on boat. sight! when running back home, many baby white-side dolphins swimming and jumping on our bow!

however, on tuesday, our last day of fishing due of series of small craft warning on wed+thurs, anyway, we jigging and puzzled how possible that cods or any fish was gone that fast. i drove around little bit and search for cods. found them off the bat. been on fire for only one drift. caught our limits. we went second drift, boom! switch have been switched off! no fish at all! except we could felt small nibbles. but not sure what it was. capt went into cabin and fix the jigging colors while I was still fishing. i reeled it up and put new bait on it. then let it go again. only jigging for like 3-5 minutes, huge hit on my rod! i knew it wasn't cod or else at all. I yelled Halibut!! my capt ran out of cabin. he said, "what! hell no way! I never caught one in my life and never seen one before. and how hell you can know that you have it on your hook!" I said, I just knew it and I kept reeling for long time. (we fish at really deep, mind you) it was hard pull it up and it is hard to gain line at all. Captain said it was big cod or something else! But everything was done! only less 10 minutes! we saw halibut surface less 20 feet from boat and I reeled it carefully! netted it! Halibut is done! we measure it, luck on our side! just one inch pass legal size for keeper! 42 inch! 30 pounds! oh man! I don't want to be near my captain after he was very disbelief how I knew it before land it. also, it was my first time in lifetime, hope it wont be last! after couple of minutes later, he was cheering and happy to have some of fillets!

I ate it for first time, wicked yummy! can't believe how great taste it was.

overall, can't believe how great fishing it was. it was still continue! but had to wait until small craft warning and wind/rain to be stop soon!

[Mortigan]

Good job, DF. Congratulations on the halibut.

[bladenbullet]

sounds like a good time...

[slimyfish]

[Pike Hunter]

Wow! I am speechless! I was not even aware the halibuts can be caught on the east side of the U.S. I have fished for halibuts when I was up in Alaska.

Come on Mark. You re killing me with your successful fishing report!

[Deaf Fisherman]

thanks everyone!

Pike Hunter - I knew they are existed around here but almost like rare to find them along hard time to hook one. must be bunch of lucky to bag one. (fishing is not over yet for me )

[rolmops]

Congrats on all the great fishing.

It is very good news that the halibut is coming back. About 15 years ago the state of Maine tried to reintroduce them.It looks like they succeeded.

[Deaf Fisherman]

rolmops - I heard several reports from some people that they have continue catching them at somewhere in mass. They said it is easily to hook up but very difficult to land them. I could understand about that! However, I wish I could have this secret location.. umm.. all Halibut will be gone.. Nah, I'll only keep what I can able to eat.

But in seriousness, I'm really glad that Halibut got bounce back into population now. Hopefully, in several years later, we will have no problem to catch them if tunas are not around.

[PolarBear]

Cool

[ Post made via iPhone ]

[rolmops]

rolmops - I heard several reports from some people that they have continue catching them at somewhere in mass. They said it is easily to hook up but very difficult to land them. I could understand about that! However, I wish I could have this secret location.. umm.. all Halibut will be gone.. Nah, I'll only keep what I can able to eat.

But in seriousness, I'm really glad that Halibut got bounce back into population now. Hopefully, in several years later, we will have no problem to catch them if tunas are not around.

Here is where I caught one about 9 years ago.There are also very large cod (80 pounders)around here. The charter boat captain told us that the area is so rocky that it is impossible to drop a bottom gill net let alone a drag net We fished a small sandy stretch next to a slope and I caught a 15 pound Halibut,which is really small for a halibut.

The place is called Cashes Ledge and is about 80 miles off shore but well worth the 8 hour trip to get there from Gloucester.

N42.53.602 W68.56.682. That is the shallowest spot there and the mountain ranges are all around it and there are a bunch of spots that are around 200 feet and sandy. Just be careful not to hook into any unexploded ordinance.

[Deaf Fisherman]

that's sound awesome spot. I have heard about that spot on occasions. (80pounds cod/Halibut hole sounds like very tempting to go there) This is definitely interesting. But any catch for halibut regard in any size is definitely great catch!

I like to fish spot that has difficult ocean bottom because that's usually where monster fish sitting at and everything goes to fish's face. small fish need to hide and swim directly to their faces. This usually works well if you know how to using jigs right way without stuck into something. I am usually fish with 5 pounds jig for most of time. 2 pounds jig for calm water with slow current. (I know many people will say I am crazy about jigging weight. but I never like to let go more line due to jig is not touch on bottom. I prefer to drop them into bottom and make sure it is stuck on bottom until I began jigging technique without worry about let more line go. I never lost jig with 5lbs for whole summer but lost two due to blueshark attacks.)

However, I never went that far. My farthest was around 30 miles offshore. That's it. However, if I can join with someone who can drive up there. It would be nice. I guess, I need to find new fishing buddies who are hardcore fisherman.

[rolmops]

The Yankee fleet goes there out of Gloucester and so does Kevin Twombly who is arguably the best small charter captain in Gloucester.

I always use 80 pound power pro with 80 pound fluorocarbon as a leader .That stuff is very thin and has no stretch.While fishing at 300 feet down you still feel every twitch. My favorite is the 21 ounce Norwegian herring. With a very thin line,21 ounce is enough because the currents don't get a hold of a line that thin. I also like to use double hooks with clams and a teaser. You can usually feel the first fish hit and then the second one within seconds of each other. I get double hookups every time.

Cornelis.

[Deaf Fisherman]

Yeah, I fished couple of time with him before. He is really good captain. Everyone on the boat was catching cods. Unlike Captain John boat, I never had bite on that boat for two years before I decided to quit it. Then I am still continue fishing with my Captain's commercial fishing boat ever since never got skunked. Anyway, with Yankee boat, I never went that far. I only went to probably 10 miles off north at P-town from Gloucester. Probably because of wrong timing.

Yeah, I used same method as you did with two hooks/braid line. that's exactly what I did. Unfortunately, I went fishing so often and never had calmer days to fish this year. Often fish through small craft warning. (working on Hawk 25 boat (25ft)) But same time, it is really thrilled to be on water that often and fishing is that really good. Couldn't complain any more than jigging weight or crying about arm was going to break off.

p.s. I just heard that Massachusetts fishery said cod/haddock is dramatically decreased 90% and they want to banned ground-fishing for couple of years until they bounce back into population. However, I was highly disagree about this, I mean, everyone was caught 30 cods/10 haddocks in every trip to fish for ground-fishing. (my average trip for ground-fishing at this year was probably 100 cods/30 haddocks/10 white hake on every trip! Only kept 35-40 cods for 300 pounds limit per day-commercial rules) You can figure it out the weight per each cod that I caught. It is unreal! common weight was around 3-5 pounds per fish. But this year, they are full of boatload belly! I won't surprise if someone pulls 70-90lbers Cod at this year or two.