Two day report here....
Dan with a pair of Keepah's!
Stripers are in for sure but have been moving around the past couple days. Not the early June fishing we have been accustomed too, but pretty decent never the less. Mackerel continue to be very reliable in big numbers and good sizes as well. Still waiting for the day when everything goes Ape S***, which can be at any moment now.
24 5 -6 Inch Whiting in a 30" Bass' Stomach!
Friday was a decent day drifting the mouth. We managed a few keepers all around the 30 inch mark along with a half dozen schoolies. It wasn't crazy action, but a fish or two each drift. Fishing reports from guys around the fleet were pretty solid and had me itching for my for the first charter of the year. What was amazing was what I found in the bass' stomach when I cut them open: one bass had 24 juvenile whiting in his gut which means he came in from offshore!
Jeremy's Sweet 18# Striper Caught on a Live Mackerel in the Merrimack River
Today (Saturday) was a bit of a different story. Had repeat customers Mark and Jeremy out who brought along their buddies Jerome and Garret. We started off the day getting the macs pretty good and out to the mouth for some stripers.
Jerome with a schoolie to start us off.
Mark's Keeper!
Yesterday, I figured out you just had to grind and pound out drift after drift to get the fish. Jerome started us off with the first two fish of the day that we just a tad under the keeper mark. Then, after another schoolie or two, Jeremy landed the first keeper! After grinding out some more drifts, Jeremy came tight again to a fat 38 inch fish! A real beauty that put up a fantastic fight. Another couple drifts, Mark finally gets on board with a schoolie followed by another nice keeper! Not to be outdone, on the last drift Garrett thought he had a fish, but ended up being a ball of weeds; but with a line attached! I handlined about 100 yards of braid back into the boat and up came a 25 inch striper! We got him unhooked and saved his life!
Reports from the fleet and radio chatter were abysmal. For the number of boats fishing the Merrimac River today, I didn't see many bent rods. After talking around, our group were the studs of the day. When fishing isn't hot and heavy, I have to give credit to these guys for their ability to hook and land nearly every bite they got!
Thanks guys for coming on Manolin Charters. Had a bunch of laughs, caught some fish, and enjoy the first real beautiful day on the water.
Back at it tomorrow!
Capt. Chris Valaskatgis