2002 FISHING REPORTS
 
 
SHARED CHARTER COD TRIP

Thursday, November 21, 2002

 
 

 

RELENTLESS conducted an all day shared charter on Thursday, November 21st with Mike Kuchta and Mike Jacques from West Warren, MA. Also along for the day were Bernie Thomas of Framingham, MA, Paul Matz, Mansfield, MA and Joe Nolan of Norfolk, MA.

After navigating through pea soup fog, we arrived at our destination - about an hour and 15 minutes out. The bite started out slow and when the tide changed, the fish started hitting diamond jigs and teasers very aggressively.

Bernie had the largest cod of the day at over 35 pounds and Mike Jacques was high hook with many doubles of large fish.

Mike Kutcha, also known as Mr. "K", did very well quietly reeling in many cod including some on his own Daredevil lure.

Joe and Paul landed several fish and would have even had a few more if my gaffing skills were up to par for the day. By the time we headed home, the guys had plenty of fillets. Catching their legal limits with four fish over 30 lbs, six over 20 lbs and several in the high teens.

Mike Jacques also took time to tag a few cod with one nearly 31" long for research purposes, demonstrating the recreational angler's commitment towards protecting these stocks for future generations.

This group of guys sure knew how to fish and spoke about a return trip as early as next week. We hope to see them again soon, catching more of these bottom dwellers from the deck of RELENTLESS.

 

 

-Capt. Dave Waldrip

 
COD TRIP

Friday, November 1, 2002

 
John with a good size cod
 

Note: RELENTLESS HAS OPENINGS FOR SHARED AND PRIVATE COD CHARTERS DURING NOVEMBER.

RELENTLESS conducted a charter on November 1st with Ray Saragian, Joe Rabbs and Joe Nelson all from the South Shore. Fishing started just a little over an hour from the dock as we began hauling in codfish in the 12-20 lb range. These fish were caught using clams as bait and when the jigs were sent to the depths, the cod hit them with aggression. Everyone aboard had a great outing, often bringing two fish at a time to the surface and reaching their legal limits by the end of the day. Captain Dave and our mate Rick McKenna also had a chance to get in on the action, with Rick bringing a large pollock aboard. Thanks for the great day guys. We hope to see you again on RELENTLESS before the winter is over.

 

Rick with a pollock

 

Ray's large catch

 

John's cod hooked with a teaser
 
 

Joe with a double catch
 
 
 
Ray's on again
 
 
 
Capt Dave reels one in

 

-Capt. Dave
 
 
 
 
STRIPED BASS TRIP

Thursday, September 26, 2002

 
Bob Ball, Wayne Ernst, Bob Ernst and Peter Wallack,
displaying their keepers.
 

Wayne Ernst from Boston, a repeat charterer from the Beckwith Elevator Company, fished aboard RELENTLESS for the second time in two months. Joining Wayne was his dad, Bob from Illinois, Bob Ball from New York and Peter Wallack from Hingham, MA. We started the day off trolling and listening to slow reports from the other charter boats who were chasing fast moving fish. We trolled on the inside near Dear Island Light where we found the water to be full of weeds and decided to head outside the harbor. It was not long before we turned around due to the sea conditions and anchored up on Bob's Triangle. Soon enough we had fish on and were catching numerous sub-legals in the 26-27 inch range. We did manage to limit out on keepers for the grill, with Peter taking home the grand prize - a fat 35" linesider which fell to a herring chunk. These guys were great to have aboard and I am sure we will see them again for another day of fishing aboard RELENTLESS.

Bob Ernst from Illinois holding another nice
striped bass.

 

Wayne Ernst, high hook of the day holds
a nice striped bass.

 

Peter Wallock shows off his 35" keeper bass
which fell to a herring chunk.

 

-Capt. Dave
 
 
 
 
STRIPED BASS AND BLUEFISH TRIP

Saturday, September 14, 2002

 
Ron Dills holding one of the many bluefish
he landed throughout the day.
 
 

Ron Dills, a repeat customer from Woburn, MA, chartered RELENTLESS on a picture perfect day with light winds and calm seas. Minutes after leaving the dock, we were catching bluefish while trolling CD-18 Rapala lures. These fish were feeding on large menhaden right off our docks in front of the U.S.S. Constitution. Later we headed out to Bob's Triangle, chunking herring and catching striped bass, but only landing one keeper which was just barely legal. We landed five sub legal fish and our problem was getting the baits down under the hungry bluefish. We changed our tactics and fished for the blues, putting several large ones in the fish box for Ron and his friends to take home. We had a great day with this group and hopefully we will see them either before the bass season ends or on one of our fall and winter cod fishing trips.

 

Bill holding a legal size striped bass caught at
Bob's Triangle on a herring chunk.
 
 
Woody holding a bluefish which had hit on a whole herring.

 

-Capt. Dave
 
 
 
STRIPED BASS AND BLUEFISH TRIP

Monday, September 9, 2002

 
Jian and Shri Rajagopalan holding Shri's 34" striper
 
 

Rick Gullotti from the Motorola Corporation chartered RELENTLESS with five of his co-workers for an afternoon of bluefish and striped bass fishing. This group was able to catch stripers and bluefish using herring chunks at the outside ledges of Boston Harbor. The largest fish of the day was a 35" fat linesider landed by Jian Liu after a 10 minute battle. We know we will see Rick again as he keeps his own 30' sailboat out of the same marina and we hope to have him and his group aboard to fish again.

Jian Liu landed this 35" linesider
 
 

 

-Capt. Dave
 
 
 
COD TRIP

Sunday, September 8, 2002

 
Stan with a great looking haddock.
 
 
 

RELENTLESS was chartered by members of U.S. Coast Guard Civil Engineering Unit, Providence, RI for a day of cod and haddock fishing. This unit staffed by both civilian and military personnel designs, constructs and contracts both shoreside and marine engineering projects for the Coast Guard including lighthouses and bases.

Kris Phillips with a Steaker Cod.


Leaving Boston early, RELENTLESS fished the waters of Stellwagen Bank catching plenty of Cod and Haddock from depths of over 350 ft. The four individuals who fished were Kristopher Phillips, Steven Barney, John Brezinski and Stan Wilczynski. The trip was set up by Al Jacobs who opted to go tuna fishing on this day as our trip had to be rescheduled twice earlier in the year.

John showing off his haddock which fell to a
baited clam rig.

 

The fishing was great and the seas were overall calm. Steve landed the largest steaker cod of the day weighing over 22 lbs and Stan had the largest haddock. All fish were caught on both bait and jigs. On the way home we had school bluefin tuna all around the boat only five miles east of Boston. Of course I decided to troll one up but, as with everyone else we heard on the radio, came up short. It was a great day of cod fishing and as the codfishing season nears we want to remind everyone that we are now accepting reservations.

 
Kris Phillips with one of the many haddock he
caught throughout the day.
 
 
 
 

 

-Capt. Dave
 
 
 
COD TRIP

Saturday, September 7, 2002

 

Dave Pope with a very nice striped bass
caught on a herring chunk.
 
 

Dave Pope from Ipswich, MA chartered RELENTLESS with his dad, Ross and four close friends for another bachelor party with Nautical Adventure Charters. The weather was near perfect with absolutley no wind and very calm seas. Early in the morning we chased feeding bluefish in around Faun Bar without much success. Dave kept getting bit off without a steel leader so we decided to catch the tide and hopefully, some large striped bass. What a day these guys had catching over 15 striped bass, with Dave landing a 36" linesider falling victim to a herring chunk. We wish Dave and his fiance the best of luck and hope to see him back aboard in the future for another fun day of fishing aboard RELENTLESS.

 

Gregg Rivinius showing off his fish.
 
 
Dave White holding a nice striped bass.
 
 
Jamie MacDonald holding another striped bass.
 
 
Frank Steever who came all the way from Rhode Island
holding a Boston Harbor Striper.
 
 
Dave Pope and his Dad Ross display their
catch of the day.
 
 
Dave with his friends display their keepers
before heading in for the day.

 

 

-Capt. Dave
 
 
 
 
STRIPED BASS TRIP

Thursday, September 5, 2002

 
 
Ken White with the first stiped bass of the afternoon.
 

Ken White, who hails from Weymouth, MA and is a mate aboard 100 ton vessels in Boston Harbor, chartered RELENTLESS for an afternoon fishing trip on September 5th with five friends celebrating a bachelor party. Anchoring at one of Captain Dave's favorite ledges outside Boston Harbor paid off. Ken landed several large striped bass with a total amount of 12 stripers landed by the group with the largest being 34" using herring chunks as bait. Ken and his great group of friends said they would definitely be back soon for another good time aboard RELENTLESS.

 


 

-Capt. Dave
 
 
STRIPED BASS TRIP

Tuesday, September 3, 2002

Large Bluefish caught after dark on a herring chunk.
 

RELENTESS was chartered for a corporate outing by Mike Kaczynski from Danvers and the American Pasta Company for an evening of fishing for striped bass and bluefish. Mike and his group caught striped bass to 30" and large bluefish while chunking herring off of Boston Harbor. We were a bit too busy to take many photos, however we did manage to take one of a nice bluefish caught by a member of the group.

 

-Capt. Dave
 
 
 
STRIPED BASS TRIP

Sunday, August 25, 2002

Alex Nelson and his son show off their keeper striped bass while having
a wonderful time together on board RELENTLESS.
 
 

Alex Nelson of Boston and Putnum Investments and his son Alex, who was in town from New York, chartered RELENTLESS for a morning of striped bass fishing. Heading out early for some offshore trolling produced very limited action as there was quite a bit of weed in the water from the recent Northeast storm. Coming back inside and chunking on Bob's Triangle, we were able to put half a dozen keepers on board. It was a great day to be on the water, anchored up and catching striped bass. These two gentleman were a pleasure to have aboard and we hope they enjoy their fresh striped bass fillets.

Alex Nelson proudly displays his 32" striped bass that was landed after a good battle.
 
 
Alex Jr with a 30" striped bass caught while chunking
during the incoming tide.

 

-Capt. Dave
 
 
 
BLUEFISH TRIP

Wednesday, August 14, 2002

 
 

RELENTLESS was one of three boats which were chartered by Dave O'Keefe of Relational Funding Corporation, from Rolling Meadows, Illinois while in Boston for a conference. Everyone was picked up that morning at the beautiful Boston Harbor Hotel. The weather was perfect as we headed offshore to troll for some of Boston's large bluefish.

 

It was not long before we were catching them, trolling bunker spoons and 9'R rigs with lead core line. I was fortunate to have Dave aboard our boat, as he was the only one from the Boston area while the others were from the midwest and Canada.

 

There was lots of football talk aboat the Bears and Pats game coming up later this year. We enjoyed the view of the city skyline as we headed in at the end of the day. Everyone aboard was quite pleased with their day's catch of several bluefish.

 

Dave being local, promised my son and mate for the day, Greg, that he would follow his team in football this season. We enjoyed having this group aboard for an exciting day of fishing and look forward to hosting them again soon.

 

-Capt. Dave
 
 
 
STRIPED BASS TRIP

Wednesday, July 3, 2002

Brandon shows off the results of his hard work with this nice striped bass
 

Fred Jennings and Chris Gray, repeat customers, came back again for a day of Striper fishing aboard RELENTLESS. Fred brought his father, Fred Sr. while Chris brought aboard his two children Brandon and Brittany. Everyone was all smiles, especially the youngsters as they caught keeper bass to 36" throughout the afternoon at Bob's Triangle in Boston Harbor.

 
Brittany shows the boys how it is really done as her Dad
shows off her large fish.
 
 
Fred Sr. shows off bass while his son Fred fights
another large fish.

 

Brandon gets a little help from his Dad, Chris fighting
a keeper bass.

 

-Capt. Dave
 
 
 
STRIPED BASS & BLUEFISH TRIP

Thursday, August 22, 2002

(Afternoon)

Kurt Gustafson holds a 32" striped bass taken
on a 9'R rig outside of Boston Harbor.
 

Tom Feldman chartered RELENTLESS for a two boat boat charter with a party of twelve to fish for bluefish and bass outside of Boston Harbor. Tom who has chartered with RELENTLESS in the past and his friends from State Street Global Advisors picked a great day to fish. We headed out to the waters where we had hit numerous fish earlier in the day and, of course, they were not to be found on the fish finder. Working hard we were soon into our elusive prey, tallying both bluefish and striped bass. It was great having Tom and his friends aboard for another day fishing the waters of Boston Harbor.

 

Mike Lear holds his 10 lb bluefish
caught while trolling.
 
Rob Russell with this bluefish caught
during the afternoon.

 

-Capt. Dave
 
 
 
 
STRIPED BASS & BLUEFISH TRIP

Thursday, August 22, 2002

(Morning)

Captain Dave holding a nice bluefish caught by
8-year-old Danielle early in the morning.
 

RELENTLESS had a great day of fishing when Mark Kwatcher from Natick, MA chartered the boat to take his three young children fishing. Alex, Danielle and the youngest Jake all had a great time catching bluefish to 10 pounds. The fish were feeding aggressively outside Boston Harbor, driving small herring to the surface where birds were frantically diving into these schools of baitfish getting their fair share. Everyone aboard had a great day reeling in fish with the youngest of children being assisted by our Mate, Don Kelleher.

Don Kelleher, the mate assists young Jake with
his first bluefish of the day.
 
Alex with two nice bluefish which hit a 9'r rig trolled
near Graves Lighthouse.
 
Mark Kwatcher holds a bluefish demonstrating he can
catch fish as well as his kids.

 

-Capt. Dave
 
 
 
 
COD TRIP

Saturday, August 17, 2002

Ken with a large steaker cod - 35 lbs.
 

On a great day with no wind and calm seas, RELENTLESS fished the waters around Stellwagen Bank. The vessel was booked by Kenny King of Dorchester, MA , who along with his co-workers, caught the limits for codfish and haddock. Everyone had a fabulous day leaving the boat with enough fillets to share with friends and families. Kenny has already booked another cod fishing trip for the fall.

 

Don Kelleher with a large steaker - 33 lbs.
 
 
Ron Monufo with a nice haddock caught on clams.
 
 

 

 


-Capt. Dave
 
 
 
 
STRIPED BASS TRIP

Saturday, June 22, 2002

RELENTLESS fished outside of Boston Harbor on the afternoon of Saturday, June 22 during an outgoing tide. Aboard were Samuel Taggard and Jon Schoenecker of Durham, NC, Drew Richards of Salem, MA, and brothers Matt and Jamie Sheehan both from MA. With light winds and temperatures in the 80's it was a great day to be on the water.

After anchoring up and starting to chum chunks of fresh herring, it wasn't long before the words "fish on" were yelled out. Throughout the afternoon these anglers caught striped bass to 33", catching over ten good size fish and releasing all but two.

This was a day of celebration as Jon and his friends were celebrating his bachelor party. The crew of the RELENTLESS wish him and his new bride best wishes and hope they have a great wedding day.

 

-Capt. Dave
 
 
 
 
STRIPED BASS TRIP

Thursday June 20, 2002

 

Aboard RELENTLESS for a day of striped bass fishing on Thursday, June 20th were Buster Fitzpatrick, Rich Fresco, Jason Catizone and Mark Zaccari, all from the Metro Boston area. Also joining them for the day was Mark Fields and Rich Dambra from New York. The day could not have been any better with calm seas, light winds and temperatures in the low 80's.

As RELENTLESS cruised past the anchorages of Boston, we passed several small boats having success fly fishing amongst the bass busting bait at the surface. These fish have been a regular occurrence here each morning. We decided to head offshore where the reports of early morning action have been good.

Once we arrived a few miles east of the harbor entrance, we came across 40 boats who had the same idea as us. Bass and Bluefish were everywhere with schools of hungry fish pushing baitfish to the surface. Gulls did not want to be left out and were getting their fill diving into the water and eating whatever they could.

We trolled 9"R rigs and were catching several bass in the 39" range and countless smaller ones around 28". Shifting to drifting whole herring and trolling deep swimmer minnow-type lures we caught numerous fish on lighter tackle throughout the day.

This group of guys and their great sense of humor made for a great day of fishing. Not only was the weather perfect, but the fishing was the best I have ever seen with over 20 keeper bass over 34" and several other smaller fish being released. What a memorable day for everyone aboard and we hope they come back as planned later in the summer.

-Capt. Dave
 
 
STRIPED BASS TRIP

Monday June 10, 2002

Tanya Engelking of Boston chartered RELENTLESS on Monday, June 10th, taking her brother Justin from Illinois fishing as a high school graduation present. Joining them was Tanya's boyfriend Eric Zukauskas of Boston and his brother Peter from Groton, MA.

The early morning was perfect with bright blue sky, light wind and lots of sunshine. RELENTLESS fished Bob's Triangle, chunking for about a half hour with little success when I decided to try trolling offshore hoping to find feeding striped bass and indeed we did.

After heading offshore a few miles past The Graves lighthouse we came across thousands of terns and gulls diving at bait fish being pushed to the surface by hungry striped bass. Trolling 9" R rigs, we were soon pulling aboard stripers up to three at a time with some of the fish being over 38."

Tanya caught one of the largest fish of the day. All she could say as she fought with the bass like an experienced angler was "This beats fishing for perch on the lakes back home". Everyone on board had numerous battles, keeping four fish for the grill and releasing over 15 more, many quite large.

I had a great day with this group and hope they will come back again for another day of fishing aboard RELENTLESS. I wish them all of the best, especially Tanya with her nursing school and Justin with his future as he enters college.

Thanks again for the great day!

-Capt. Dave
 
 
 
STRIPED BASS TRIP

Saturday June 1, 2002


RELENTLESS conducted a striped bass charter with Travis Frantti, Todd Riecke of Clifton Park NY, Luan Knorr of Scotia, NY, Rich Ewing and Tony Battista of Schenectady, NY. This group traveled from upstate New York hoping to take on some of Boston's large striped bass.

After stopping at Bob's Triangle, where we did not having much luck using herring chunks, I decided to make a move to the outer depths of Boston Harbor. We proceeded past The Graves Light and headed over to the wreck of the City of Salisbury. Here we found birds feeding on herring that had been forced to the surface by hungry striped bass.

Drifting chunks of herring, it was not long before Tony hooked into the largest bass he had ever caught - a linesider over 37". After landing more fish in this range and several sub-legal size, we decided to troll to cover more area.

Using 9'' R rigs and trolling slowly, we landed several more bass in a short period including Luan who wanted to make bets with everyone aboard about who would catch the largest fish. Everyone had a great time especially Rich who hooted and hollered the whole way back about the great fishing.

Our mate for the day was Jennifer Maloney, a licensed captain who runs offshore whale watching boats out of Boston. She did a great job running the boat while I ran the deck and hopefully she will be joining us for future trips. Speaking of future trips, Tony mentioned that they would soon be back for another trip aboard RELENTLESS and another day of excellent fishing. Maybe this group of anglers can bring a 40"+ fish to net on their next outing.

-Capt. Dave
 
 
 
STRIPED BASS TRIP

Tuesday May 28, 2002


RELENTLESS conducted an After-Work Special Striped Bass trip with a family of six anglers. On board were David and Elaine Briggs from Lincoln, MA and their son Martin along with Darcie and Wilma King from Washington, PA and Alvin Briggs who also resides in Washington, PA. The tide was ebbing and the harbor was blanketed by fog as we steamed out of Boston Harbor through Lower Middle Channel. With fresh herring in the coolers and light winds, I had a feeling it was going to be a good day.

After anchoring up outside the harbor entrance it was not long before the first fish of the day were coming over the rail. David caught the largest bass, nearly 34" and Wilma certainly landed the most fish, out fishing the guys two to one. This crew kept our mate for the evening, Paul Diggins, quite busy unhooking several large striped bass along with sub-legal size stripers.

I am sure Wilma, David and Martin will remember this trip for a long time. Paul and I look forward to having them aboard RELENTLESS again before the summer is over.


-Capt. Dave
 
 
 
STRIPED BASS TRIP

Sunday May 26, 2002

Aboard RELENTLESS for a day of striped bass fishing were Cameron Thrutchley of Sugarland, TX, his brother Barry from Stewartsville, NJ and Jason Brownhill from Charlestown, MA. Departing the docks at 7:00 AM we fished an area of Boston Harbor known as Bob's Triangle.

Using chunks of fresh mackerel and herring these anglers caught fish to 30". The action was a little slow during the incoming tide while it flowed against a strong southwest wind. They were a great group of sportsmen and we hope to fish with them again this summer.

-Capt. Dave

(Thanks for the photos Cameron!)
 
 
 
 
 
COD TRIP

Sunday May 12, 2002

RELENTLESS fished with Zbigniew (Ziggy) Cyganowski and five of his friends from the Branford, Connecticut area. Light and variable winds provided calm seas for the ride out to Stellwagen Bank. When we arrived the fishing was a bit slow forcing us to take the journey down to the southern end of the bank where reports of good fishing have been coming in. On the way down these fisherman were entertained by whales and large schools of mackerel breaking the surface.

Arriving on the shoal water the fish were hungry, hitting jigs and teasers with aggression. Ziggy who brought his own light tackle rod had a ball hauling codfish and pollock over the rail in the aft corner.

His friends all did very well, with everyone nearly limiting out with the largest fish over 18 lbs. The ride home with following seas allowed the crew to fillet the catch in comfort. The white fillets of fresh fish were packed in coolers on ice for the ride back to Connecticut.

It was an awesome day aboard RELENTLESS with a great group of guys who we hope to see again in the future.

-Capt. Dave
 
 
 
COD TRIP

Saturday April 27, 2002

A group of anglers from Massachusetts fished aboard RELENTLESS on Saturday, April 27th. On board were Bob Cataldo from Medford, Brian Cacciatore from Readville, Sean Madden from Methuen, Paul Arthur from Marshfield and Jack Black from Quincy. RELENTLESS got underway around 6:00 AM during an extremely low morning tide. Seas were fairly calm, around 2-4 feet, with a west wind blowing around 15 knots.

Arriving on the shoal waters of Stellwagen Bank these anglers landed large pollock and medium size codfish weighing in around 15 lbs. These fish were hitting our jigs and teasers while actively feeding on herring and sand eels. The fishing was a bit tough with the big tides running hard on a full moon, but everyone managed to catch decent numbers of fish.

Later in the day while moving to the deep water on the north end of the bank, these anglers were treated to the spectacle of porpoises feeding on sand eels, so thick that when they were under the boat you could not see deeper than two feet.

In the deep water with the tide now slack, RELENTLESS anchored up at 240 feet and shifted to bait on most of the rods and managed to catch some nice bright haddock along with the cods.

On the way home, everyone was treated to a show of breaching humpback whales, which have made their annual return to the fishing grounds. Our mate Shawn filleted the catch which yielded enough fish to satisfy everyone's taste for fish dinners in the weeks ahead. This was a great group of guys who we look forward to taking them out again someday. A few of them have their own boats and are excellent striped bass fisherman. The crew of RELENTLESS wishes them tight lines and a safe boating season.


-Capt. Dave
COD TRIP

Sunday April 21, 2002

As RELENTLESS headed out for another day of April cod fishing the weather turned out to be not as nice as the local weather forecasters had predicted. The winds were predicted to be northwest in the 15 knot range, decreasing in the afternoon. Unfortunately, Mother Nature had other plans. On board for the trip were Tom McGreenery of Wayland, MA and his friends.

These fisherman were well prepared for the elements as they set about fishing in the bouncy seas. The bite was slow in the morning as we used our jigs and teasers. A trip to the deep water east of the bank was a waste of time due to the winds and rate of drift. Returning to the shoal water we found the fish a little more cooperative. It was nonstop action for about an hour as these anglers battled with codfish and pollock weighing up to 15 lb.

These fish were hitting the jigs and teasers like crazy and the herring were falling out of their mouths as they came aboard. The guests aboard RELENTLESS made plans for getting together for a fish fry as they looked forward to booking another fishing trip with us in the coming months.

-Capt. Dave
 
 
COD TRIP

Saturday April 20, 2002

Once again, RELENTLESS headed out for a day of cod fishing on Stellwagen Bank with a split charter consisting of Ralph Topham of Walpole, MA and two of his friends, Phil Beatty of Mansfield, MA and Mike Hoplat of Foxboro, MA. Joining them for the trip were John Saroka from Oxford, CT and his friend Frank Beatie of Naugatuck, CT.

The weather was fantastic with light winds providing calm seas for our voyage out to the fishing grounds. We had to move around a bit before we found the fish feeding on herring in the shoal waters. Once we did, both cod and pollock up to twelve pounds were coming over the rails. These fish were actively hitting the jigs and teasers, sometimes even before the gear hit bottom.

On the way home, these experienced fisherman helped RELENTLESS' crew fillet their catch as all aboard ended up with plenty of fish for the table and freezer.

-Capt. Dave
 
 
COD TRIP

Wednesday March 13, 2002

RELENTLESS left the dock at 7:00 AM for a 10-hour codfish trip with Dave Keeney from Hampton, CT, Donald Collard, Mansfield, CT, Tony Fascoon, Norwich, CT and Larry Krizan from Amston CT. They arrived in Boston after a less than two hour drive eager to fish the famous of Stellwagen Bank. Dave owns his own charter boat with Magic Charters out of Connecticut (www.magiccharters.net), fishing for striped bass, bluefish, fluke and other fish found in the Long Island Sound area. Don works as his first mate and told many stories throughout the day about their trips and fellow charter boats in the area. Tony works for the famous Brewers Boat Yards and is a talented fisherman. Larry is retired, holds a captains license and loved talking about the water and hopes to move boats back and fourth to Florida in the future. Needless to say, these guys were experienced and had great attitudes.

The ride out to Stellwagen Bank was calm as we started fishing the deep edges off the eastern and northern portions of the bank, picking away at small codfish. Throughout the day we moved several times, locating small piles of bait and only being able to pick about a dozen fish using everything from Norwegian Jigs to the famous Banjo Frog, as well as fresh sea clams. It seemed the fish were not in the eating mood on this day. Finally on the shoal waters I located a large mass of bait on the fish finder, stopping RELENTLESS right over the top and directed everyone to set their lines. What happened next was unbelievable, nice codfish to 18 lb. were coming over the rail with an occasional pollock as fast as you could reset your line. Even the Banjo frog was catching codfish. Don caught the largest codfish of his life, several in the high teens. Larry was consistently into doubles. By the end of an hour, we had our fill and it was now time to head home.

Capt. Dave Keeney drove the boat while our mate Patrick and I filleted all the way in to the harbor entrance. Once there, Don took over the skinning duties while I ran the boat in the fog through the South Channel and outer islands back to the dock. This was a great day, not just because of the large quantity and size of the fish we caught, but because of the great mix of personalities and the fun we had together. Thanks everyone for the great trip and we hope to see you again soon for another action-packed fishing trip aboard RELENTLESS.

-Capt. Dave
 
 
SHARED CHARTER COD TRIP

Sunday February 24, 2002

On Sunday, RELENTLESS conducted a shared charter with a group of fisherman who were all members and friends of the Rhode Island Salt Water Anglers Association, (RISAA). This is a great organization to join if you live in the Rhode Island area. They also have many members from CT and MA. The organization, which Captain Dave recently joined, is non-profit and meets monthly to foster positive relations and provide education in fishing and conservation measures. To learn more about this outstanding group, go to their website at www.risaa.org.

Early in the morning my son Shawn, our mate for the day and I met a green Suburban in the parking lot as it arrived at Constitution Marina. Tom Smotherman, Dick Gardner, Ed Harrington, Steve Segerson and Dick Vezina who set up the trip all jumped out and introduced themselves. What happened next looked like a well-planned and organized military exercise as Tom opened the back doors and started handing out rods like M-16's, all hanging from an interior custom rod holder. Just from the gear these fishermen had brought with them you could tell they were very experienced. As we headed out of Boston Harbor, Tom and Ed tied leaders with dropper loops, fitting them with some of Ed's custom tied purple flies. Trust me, I will have these on board in the near future as the fish were quick to devour them. Once again the weather did not turn out as predicted and we decided to stop short on the inside waters to catch codfish in the general area where we fished the previous day. I was more disappointed about not getting out to Stellwagen Bank than the charter guests who all seemed very happy just to be fishing in February.

The morning bite started out fantastic, however, as the day progressed it became harder to find cooperating fish. The seas finally settled down later in the day. Ed, who was Rhode Island Saltwater Anglers Association angler of the year during 2000 was high hook with over ten fish. This was excellent considering the bite. These fishermen had a great sense of humor and were a lot of fun to have aboard. Shaun and I look forward to seeing them again soon, both on board RELENTLESS as well as this Monday evening's Rhode Island Saltwater Anglers Association meeting.

-Capt. Dave

 

SHARED CHARTER COD TRIP

Saturday February 23, 2002

On Saturday, RELENTLESS conducted a shared charter with Dan Jensen from Norwalk, CT who had fished on board just a few weeks earlier. Joining him were Patrick West and his son Matt from Hopkinton, MA. With them were Matt's grandfather Tom Bahr from Georgia and Mark Bahr from Brookline, MA.

As we steamed out towards Stellwagen Bank the seas increased to a state a little too uncomfortable for everyone aboard to fish. After several short drifts we decided to head into more protected waters to fish the many humps of Massachusetts Bay which had been very productive last month. Once we arrived we were soon into the fish with doubles coming aboard. Matt did very well catching fish in the 10 lb. class on jigs and green teasers. Dan also caught many fish using his hand tied buck tail flies as teasers, which worked excellent. Throughout the day these determined fisherman picked through fish, catching enough to bring home for the dinner table.

On the way back to Boston, the fish were filleted and packaged for everyone's trip home. Upon his departure, Dan once again reserved two spots for winter cod fishing aboard RELENTLESS and will be joining us for the Saturday March 30th shared charter trip.

-Capt. Dave

 


COD TRIP

Saturday February 16, 2002

 

RELENTLESS conducted a split charter with Paul Matz and his 11 year old son, PJ, who was quite a fisherman. Joining them for the day were Alan Sharaf and his 13 year old son, Kyle from Brookline, MA, Tom Heneghan from Walpole, MA and Joe Nolan from Norfolk, MA who have all been aboard RELENTLESS on previous split charters.

The day started out with a good forecast for winds from the southwest shifting westerly later in the day. Early in the day there was a slight chop that flatttened out to a very calm sea on the way home. When we arrived on the northern shoal waters of Stellwagen Bank in 115 feet of water we immediately started marking large numbers of cod fish under the boat. With jigs down with green teasers it was only seconds before PJ was dancing around in the port aft corner with a bent over rod. Others aboard were soon hooked up as well. PJ landed a nice 8 pound cod and had a grin from ear to ear. All day RELENTLESS had to move around to pick through the fish but the efforts were well worth it. Alan and Tom had their best catches of the year, both bringing aboard cod over twenty pounds. Kyle also had a grand time, not only fishing but steering the boat home under the direction of Captain Dave. Who knows maybe Kyle will be a future captain along with the Captain's son, Shaun who was our mate for the day. Joe seemed to have the touch for the day, almost consistently being the first one to hook up after each new stop.

It was a great day of father and son fishing. With spring soon around the corner and plenty of shared charter dates available, we invite you to come along with your family for an exciting fishing charter aboard RELENTLESS. Please call Captain Dave at (781) 871-2113 or send him an e-mail at CaptDave@nauticaladventure.net

-Capt. Dave
 
 
 

COD TRIP

Saturday February 9, 2002

The guests and crew of RELENTLESS were eager to get underway for a day of cod fishing on Stellwagen Bank. We cast off from our dock on Boston Harbor with northerly winds at 20 knots and a calmer forecast of 10-15 for later in the day. Aboard for the trip were repeat customers, Ken Magin and Cindy Temple from Marshfield, MA, Alan Sharaf from Brookline, MA and his fishing partner, Tom Heneghan from Walpole. Also aboard was Dan Jensen from Norwalk, CT who had called at 8:00 the night before to check on an opening for a future date. He was thrilled to find out there was one opening left for the following morning due to a cancellation. He made the three and a half hour ride to Boston that night and was rearing to go at Constitution Marina the following morning.

As RELENTLESS made its way east out of Boston Harbor, passing The Graves Lighthouse, we were greeted with a beam sea. When we reached the bank, white caps scattered across four-foot waves and everyone aboard knew it was going to be a hard day of fishing.

We marked fish in shoal water, but after our jigs hit bottom and we offered nearly everything aboard to them, we came to the conclusion these fish were finicky and were not ready to eat. Between the seas and the uncooperative fish everyone was starting to look and feel like they should have booked their reservation in July. We had to remind ourselves we were fishing in the middle of February and we should expect an occasional blow.

Cindy's catch of a fighting pollock

Fortunately, once the tide changed and the wind let up, those finicky fish were soon devouring our green teasers with 14-oz jigs like you wouldn't believe. Fish were coming over the rail three, four and five at a time averaging 10 -12 lbs. The largest cod of the day was a nice 23-lb white-bellied fish that Ken brought aboard. On more than one occasion, Tom managed to haul over the rail a couple of nice doubles on the jig and teaser. In the mix were a couple of fierce fighting pollock weighing in up to 15 lbs.

As we headed home and the fish were cleaned, Dan made another reservation for Saturday the 23rd on another shared charter. Dan had arrived not knowing anyone aboard but ended this great day of winter cod fishing with new friends and plenty of fresh fillets to take back to Connecticut.

Captain Dave and his son Greg, who was the mate for the day, had a great time as well and look forward to seeing these fishing folk again soon.

 

COD TRIP

Tuesday, January 29, 2002

On a day of record breaking warm temps, RELENTLESS set out from the dock with five Share-A-Charter guests for another outstanding winter cod trip. Joining us for the day were Joe Nolan from Norfolk, MA along with his dad, Paul and their good friend, Walter. Also along for the trip were two single charter guests Lance Sistare from Brighton and Andrew Short who had traveled all the way from Yorktown Heights, NY. Underway to the fishing grounds everyone was soon engaged in conversation regarding this season's excellent cod fishing.

When we arrived eight miles east of Graves Lighthouse there was plenty of company already on the grounds. We were fishing in 180 feet of water with the water temperature at 41 degrees. We marked some fish lingering on the bottom with absolutely no bait on the screen all day. Once the lines were down, it was not long before Paul brought a nice cod over the rail and the others soon followed. We were using 14 oz. jigs with red, orange or green teasers. Throughout the day the bite was little off and by the looks of the other boats in the area, we were all experiencing a slow day. I guess we were all spoiled by the previous trips to this area where the action has been constant and furious.

By the end of the trip, Joe ended up being the high hook with 14 fish, many weighing in the low teens. Andy, Lance and Walt all took their fair share as well. Even though the fishing was a little slow, everyone walked away with enough fish for dinners in the coming weeks. Captain Dave looks forward to having this group of fine gentleman return for another day of exciting cod fishing aboard RELENTLESS. 

 

COD TRIP

Sunday, January 27, 2002

 RELENTLESS left the dock in Boston at 6:00 AM for a day of fishing on Massachusetts Bay. Making up the list of RELENTLESS' Share-A-Charter guests were Mike and Cindy from Marshfield, MA, Casey and Joe from Marlborough, CT and James Smith from Framingham, MA. On the way out seas were very calm and as we passed close to Graves Lighthouse we were treated to a spectacular sunrise over the horizon. We arrived on the grounds shortly after 7:30 and began dropping Norwegian Jigs with green or orange teasers to the depths below. Shortly after hitting bottom we were into nice, clean white-bellied codfish ranging 8-12 lbs.

 Throughout the day this group of experienced fisherman did battle with hungry cod fish who devoured our jigs. Ken even caught two fish in the lips with the top swivel of a jig without ever placing a hook in them. High hook of the day was Cindy who did very well catching fish to twenty pounds. At the end of the day, riding home on flat calm seas, our mate Greg filleted the day's catch.

 Everyone was very excited and extremely impressed with the quality and size of the fish that were landed on the day's trip and were quick to inquire about booking more trips on board RELENTLESS. This charter left with plenty of fresh fillets for the freezer as well as the enjoyable experience of meeting new friends during a great day of fishing.

 

COD TRIP

Monday, January 21, 2002

 Aboard RELENTLESS for this day of cod fishing on the waters of Massachusetts Bay were Alan Sharaf and his friends. After an hour and 15 minute run from the docks we were fishing the same bottom that had proved very productive just two days earlier. The seas were calm with a slight ground swell and rain was in the forecast for later in the afternoon.

As soon as we arrived, Alan had the first fish on and over the rail came a gleaming 10 pound codfish caught on a 14 oz. chrome plated jig. Alan's three friends were also soon on as we drifted over a nice bunch of codfish located just off the bottom. The action was fast throughout the morning and at one time, all four anglers had doubleheaders with fish averaging 8-12 lbs.

 After just three short hours of fishing in 175 feet of water, everyone had all they could take for the day and we steamed back to Boston arriving an hour and a half later. Alan and his friends came away from the day with a great fishing trip and enough codfish fillets to last them a long time.

 

COD TRIP

Saturday, January 19, 2002

 The day started out cold with temperatures hovering around 25 degrees when we left our mooring in Boston at 7:30 AM. Mark from Hingham, MA and his three friends were aboard for a day of cod fishing that they would soon never forget. With the warmed up heated cabin everyone was talking about that night's New England Patriots game and the snowstorm which was coming our way.

 We arrived on the fishing grounds an hour and a half later. Fishing with PENN 113H reels matched to 7½ foot medium action rods rigged with 14 oz. Norwegian Jigs and teasers in 180 feet of cold water was going to be the method for the day. As soon as Mark hit the bottom it was not long before the words "fish on" were yelled out. Soon everyone in the cockpit had fish on and bright clean codfish in the 12-pound range were coming over the rail. Mark did manage the high hook of the day and the largest fish being just over 20 lbs.

 This fast fishing action lasted throughout the day stopping only for short periods during moves to drift back down on the fish. The weather warmed up to 33 degrees with light winds out of the West shifting late in the day Southwesterly.

 As we steamed back to Boston all of the fish were cut as hundreds of seagulls dived for the racks we threw overboard. When we moored back in Boston everyone aboard left the dock smiling with plenty of fresh thick fillets of codfish. Mark couldn't leave without booking another trip in the upcoming month saying it was the best cod fishing he has seen in years.

As RELENTLESS steamed back to Boston all of the fish were cut as hundreds of seagulls dived for the racks we threw overboard. When we moored back in Boston everyone aboard left the dock smiling with plenty of fresh thick fillets of codfish. Mark couldn't leave without booking another trip in the upcoming month saying it was the best cod fishing he has seen in years.

 

 

NAUTICAL ADVENTURE CHARTERS
Aboard the
RELENTLESS
BOSTON, MA
(781) 871-2113
 
E-mail us at:

CaptDave@nauticaladventure.net

 

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