Seacoast New Hampshire Sportfishing

Valued clients:

Having survived the recent snowstorm and power outage – hope you did too – I’d like to convey my sincere THANKS for another great season here on the Seacoast. I’m proud to report that 100% of our charters this year caught striped bass! We also landed the largest striped bass from Rye Harbor for the second consecutive year!!

With the boat bedded down for the season, and all equipment serviced, I’m already looking forward to sharing special memories in 2012.

This season really stands out as the year of the mackerel (for bait). As much of a died-in-the-wool eeler as I am, I came to conclude that in recent times those stripers still seem to want live macks after dark. So we fed them! Using lighted bobbers – a technique I’m still refining and seem to be forging new ground as there’s no one else I’m aware of doing so. Thanks for experimenting with me!

I am actively shopping for a larger boat, and hope to have one in service next season. Among my criteria is room for 4, a full toilet, HUGE livewell, T-top, and jackrabbit speed. Wish me luck!

So with all of this, my Best Wishes for a safe, happy, and productive year end and till we see each other in May.

Capt. Bob

P.S. Really good news on the striper population front – the 4th highest young-of-the-year survey on record from Chesapeake Bay. It takes approx six years to grow them to our legal size, but can’t wait to see them swim by soon! Here’s the story: http://www.baltimoresun.com/features/green/bs-md-striped-bass-juvenile-survey-20111017,0,5121060.story

Boy oh boy, what a great finish. We seem to be finishing this season just like it started: warm, lots of bait, and lots of stripers.

As the season winds down I can start uncrossing my fingers, as we have yet to be skunked! This week was classic fall pattern, tightly packed, hungry fish that would cover you up, and then move on.

Highlight of the seek was coaching a 7 year old to a 42″ striper. Oddity of the week was seeing freeswimming mackerel in eight feet of water. They must not have heard about the stripers we were catching there!

We may sneak in another trip or two in this gorgeous fall/summer weather, but if this is where it ends I stand a contented man.

Until then….

My Best,

Capt. Bob

We continue to experience pretty steady fishing, albeit accompanied by some rain and fog. As September winds down the water continued to be quite warm – 65 degrees last evening – which coupled with the larger amount of mackerel inshore may prompt the fish to hang around a while. Let’s hope!

Most of our fish this week were schoolies to high thirty inches. A partofff mysetery was solved when a colleague returned a lighted bobber to me – attached to a 46″ fish his party landed. Ouch…

Can’t believe it’s fall, and can’t wait to squeeze those last trips of the season in, soooooooo

C’mon down.

My Best,

Capt. Bob

While the weather is proving to be a challenge this September (almost said “Fall” – but we have TWO more days of summer yet to go!), the fishing remains good. Mackerel are still inshore, and the bass hungry.

Although bluefish seem to have vacated, we never rule them out with the amount of bait inshore.

The bait pen proved its worth yet again on Sunday morning. Our trip was scheduled to start later than normal, and having bait penned up allowed us to drop in on a strong bite that faded once the sun got higher. We almost scored a triple header, missing it through no fault of the attentive angler.  Oh well, settling for doubles again…

I’m booking through Columbus Day, and currently have that weekend open. It’s going to be a long winter, so before it gets here…. c’mon down.

Best,

Capt Bob

OK so here we go: last week Irene, this week Katia (with that Lee guy…) and now for the coming weekend – MARIA! UGH!!

Well, this is fishing. I thank you folks who have already been good about rescheduling, and look forward to getting out there as NOW IS THE TIME. Mega full moon as I write this, and Sept is the month of biggies.

So with all the problems in the Euro Zone debt crisis, how’s about we just send them Maria and get back to fishing?

Wish us luck, and before this season is over c’mon down….

Capt Bob

With good  riddance to Irene, the weather was blessedly calm during the week, allowing seas to moderate and water to clear a bit. The from nowhere comes this large southerly swell – nowhere to hide and never allowing you to turn your back. Ugh!

I’ve elected to forego nite trips until this swell drops, as it’s both unnerving timing the waves and impossible to get in close. These photos show the fish are here in good numbers and size – even if we have to work hard to get them due to surfers paradise.

Pretty well booked for Sept, but last Oct was unreal thru mid-month, sooooooo….

C’mon down,

Capt Bob

Back from family vacation – the final portion cancelled by Irene. Wow, what a blow. The pictures below show how big the seas were – yes that’s Straw’s Point in the right hand shot.

As often happens the day after is a far different ocean. Flat calm, stirred up, but on a path back to normal.

Fishing was pretty good for colleague Capt Ray on our Mako while I was away, so I’m looking forward to being back in the game here shortly. I’ve tied new top shots on all the outfits, am getting one of our hard working Shimano spinners back from Shimano serevice, and putting the Mako back in after staying safe and dry from Irene.

Wish us luck, stay tuned, and…..

C;mon down!

Capt. Bob

Well here we are, mid August, still catching mackerel – and TROPHIES!

Quick report before heading out on several weeks of family vacation – be back end of month.

We’ve got some good fish around, and at least in recent days a pause in the bluefish assaults.  Last night’s full moon and meteor shower was great – made even better with the streaking lighted bobbers as those stripers came a callin’. It was not wide open, but the quality was there.

Should you HAVE to get fishing before I’m back, please consider giving Cat Ray a call at 603 926 0264. You may recognize the boat – Ray will be fishing my Mako while awaiting engine replacement for his. Working together, and fishing together, are words and ways to live by.

My Best,

Capt. Bob

Truth in reporting: I had the misfortune of fishing the two slowest days of the week this week. Colleagues had some fine numbers thru Thurs, then…

We fished hard for two stripers on Sat morning, and could not cajole a bluefish despite the warm water and abundant bait. On Sunday the monsoon forced us in early, but we scratched out a score nonetheless. So there, it’s not always triple headers…

The abundant mackerel are still holding insshore, but becoming more finicky; sometimes swarming thru the chum and ignoring our jigs with seeming glee. Such conditions breed perseverence!

Can hardly believe it’s the second week of August, sooooooo….

C’mon Down.

Best,

Capt. Bob

Greetings from Fish Central…

In an all too familiar pattern, our fishing this week took a temporary hit from the frontal passage’s westerly blow – then came right back as soon as the breeze turned onshore again. I think the pictures tell the story. The first few was a great father-son team who worked hard amongst the earlier-than expected frontal passage to score. We did – multiple times – but the size and quantity was challenging.

On that basis I asked the folks in the lower photos to delay their trip by a day. Bingo – water temp back up by 10 degrees, and while still not wide open fishing there was no denying we fish in trophy territory!

Bluefish are solidly with us now, but luckily not forcing the mackerel away.

Not sure where July went, and they just called to ask if I wanted our snowblower serviced, soooooo….

C’mon Down!

Capt. Bob