6/1 Mackerel Mackerel Mackerel

Mackerel fishing has been nothing short of outstanding the past week. I have been able to find them on structure, tide lines, under birds, and less than a mile off the beach! They have come in all sizes, but mostly tinkers with some MONSTERS in the mix. I love when mackerel pull drag! 

Capt. Gary holding MY keeper striper to impress his girlfriend LOL

Striper fishing has been great for those who are into light tackle schoolie action. They are literally everywhere! Buddies have mine have been taking their tin skiffs way up river and hitting on some keepers. I think right now there just hasn't been a body of bigger fish than have moved in yet. Some may be way up river chasing herring to Lawrence and another pocket offshore feeding on mackerel. We have a week coming up with good morning tides and a prediction of Southernly winds that we have been longing for. When it does happen, it will be epic. Meanwhile, I took a busman's holiday with Capt. Gary Morin of Ring's Island Charters today to fill a cooler of macks and I managed to catch this guy before calling it a day!

Going out Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday before the first two charters of the season on the weekend. Can't wait!

Tight Lines, 

Capt. Chris

5/24 - Macs and Keepers are Here!

Manolin Charters First Keeper 2014!

What a fantastic solo trip I had today. Just about everything you can imagine! I literally could not get myself to leave the water today as I fished from 7 AM - 4 PM! A little chilly in the morning, but never the less a gorgeous day on the water! This is going to be a long a report, but so many cool things happened today the fishing geeks out there will enjoy it....

I guess I will spit out the story chronologically. Left the docks at 7 AM to catch the last hour of the incoming. Pretty confident of the fishing upriver for schoolies, but my goals for today included Joppa, Mackerel, and Keeper Stripers. As soon as I crossed the Ice Breaker, I saw birds working on the Salisbury flat. I swung over and saw fish busting! Yes! I throw out the light green RonZ and come tight to a nice 24 inch striper. With no wind and fish breaking at the boat, I switched to my lighter set up and went 9 for 9 on my next casts with fish ranging from very 12 - 23 inches. A blast on light tackle - Joppa fishing! I ended up with a bakers dozen when in the blink of an eye when the OFF switch flipped. 

The tide was slacking out so I went on a hunting mission. I checked all the usual suspect inside and then ventured out to the beach front in front of Plum Island to check the bottom changes from the winter. To be honest, I was just cruising around looking for something to set up on, but I just kind of drove around and got intimate with the new boat and electronics. Felt so good to be out there and hanging out while still getting used to it...but man is she great!

Releasing a Keeper Bass to Fight Again!

From there, I shot out and started drifting for mackerel. After what felt like a long 10 minutes, I started to load up on fish of all sizes. Some very large, some nice medium ones, but mostly tinkers! We didn't get many tinkers last year so this was sweet! They are striper candy. Got around 35 or so then the tide line I was fishing dispersed and the bite died, but I still tried for another 30 minutes waiting for the tide to get moving in the river.

With bait in hand, I wanted to try my luck at Joppa. Never made to where I wanted to fish as I encountered yet another blitz by the Toothpick. Smaller class schoolies this time, but I had to stop and get on the action and I'm glad I did. They were very aggressive on top and wanted nothing to do with my trusty green RonZ, so I switched to white. No takes. "Ok I'll go smaller" switch to a small Savage Sand Eel the killed it for me in the AM. The wind had picked up and the current was moving, which made it difficult to cast and retrieve and still no bite yet. Hmm...bucktail..One cast and I decided that was a stupid idea. Ohhh ok my favorite topwater is perfect for this situation: A white Rebel Jumpin Minnow! First cast ...Tight! Successive casts I learned they were only hitting if I gave them a super fast retrieve, but they kept swinging and missing it! So now I am thinking I need something small, but casts far, can't be reeled in quick, and preferably subsurface....Shimano Wax Wing in Pink! THAT was the ticket...picked 6 for 6 my next set of casting. People were anchored and chumming, trolling umbrellas/tube and worm, casting, and I was even drifting a livie the whole time, but no one was catching until that Wax Wing hit the water. (This was a long blitz...seriously)

Another Keeper!

It was starting to get claustrophobic and took my macs to the river. A couple drifts and a couple sings and misses! I had to get my timing back, but the first are there so I stick with it. I catch a couple fish in the 24 - 26 range, while Capt. Scott of Summer Job Charters and Capt. Pete of Obsessed Charters start busting my balls that they just caught keepers. I see some bird activity yet again a little more inside the Jetties. I sneak in there and again fish everywhere! I wanted a keeper so I stuck to the bait as opposed to casting. Picked up and dropped a couple fish (damn was I googan today), but no keepers yet. I had one at the boat that probably would have kept, but it spit the hook boat side and those don't count! 

Finally, I was able to connect on three keepers to finish off the day!  Nice fish in the 28" - 29.5''. Happened a little later in the tide that I thought it would be, but I'm not complaining!

So in summary...everything is here...on schedule.

Let's Get'em!

Tight Lines, 

Capt. Chris

5/23 Weekly Report and Memorial Weekend Outlook

Mike on the Fly

Ahh finally back into the swing of things. Feels great just to be back on the water and catching stripers in Newburyport again! Went out a couple times this week after work and the fishing was great. Tons of schoolies and non stop action. 

Getting Bigger

Got out Tuesday with my buddy Mike on his boat and caught fish out in front of Plum Island and Salisbury Ocean side, then went up river for the tide change and smoked about 50 fish in an hour on light tackle (RonZ and Paddle tails) and the fly. He went back out again Thursday afternoon/night and dialed in with close to 80 fish once the tide started moving! Awesome! 

I got back out it after it for an hour today with my buddy Pat and we picked up a dozen (a couple @ 25 - 26 inches) with a lot of near misses between the islands up the Merrimack River on the tail end of the incoming. The NE wind kept us chilly and we were hungry so we wrapped it up and headed in the Newburyport for dinner. 

Will be at it the next three days primarily looking for mackerel and targeting some keepers on the beach front, the mouth , and Joppa Flats. I know the up river fish are definitely there, so I'm looking for quality over quantity. Word on the street today was there were a few keepers brought in this morning's outgoing tide. We have a great morning tide for the weekend so it should be good! Have a great Memorial Day everybody!

Tight Lines, 

Capt. Chris Valaskatgis

5/18 - More Schoolie Stripers

Went out again Sunday afternoon for more of a recon mission than Saturday with my buddy Capt. Scott of Summer Job Charters on his boat. First order of business was to find some mackerel as we headed out of the Merrimack River. We tried two spots and did manage a few, but nothing to write home about just yet. The water seems to be just a tad too cold, but should improve by the end of the week. 

We took our macks in front of Plum Island and saw birds working hard but no stripers under them. When the bigger fish do get here it is going to be an epic show! There's so much bait from the ocean front, to the mouth, to Joppa Flats, to up river. 

We left Plum Island and drifted the mouth for two drifts on the incoming - nothing happening. Then went to flats to troll our mackerel and again, other then a ton of bait, there were no stripers to show. Finally, we went up river for the last hour of the tide to fish around the islands. We managed around another 15 plus schoolies on light tackle until the tide slacked out and the bite dropped. 

The good news is that the fish are here and actually back on a typical pattern from a few years ago. With the warm winters the past few years we have enjoyed a nice early season run of keeper fish, seems everything is a week or so off this year. 

If light tackle casting and schoolie action is your game, then I am going to run special 3 Hour After Work Charters out of Newburyport on Tuesdays and Thursdays the next two weeks @ $250 specifically targeting stripers casting lures with light tackle!

Tight Lines, 

Capt. Chris

5/17 - Stripers are Back!

Finally, the stripers have arrived! Was able to get a break in the weather and go poke around for some life. Since it was a little too windy to hit the mouth, we went up river and found a nice pocket of schoolies in the 12 - 20 inch range. Soft plastics were the bait of choice. Although, my buddy landed 2 on the fly.

We ended up with 15 schoolies for the day and headed to Joppa to see what was happening. Played around there for about an hour and nothing was doin'. It will probably turn on within the next week as bigger fish arrive!

Capt. Pete with his first of the year!

If you are interested in a charter call soon, the fish are here and they are hungry! 

978 314 9397

Tight Lines, 

Capt. Chris

NIce Striper on the Fly

A True Monster

2014 Season Long Striper Tourney!

51" Inch Striper Caught in the Merrimack by Nick at age 7

Manolin Charters is offering a season long striper tournament to its guests! The winner with the biggest striper (Per Weight) will win a 2015 inshore trip at half price! This will last the entire season and we will post regular updates on our Facebook Page with the current leader. All you need to do to enter the tournament is show up for your charter!

The only rules are you have to be fishing on a Manolin Inshore Charter and the striper must be weighed by Capt. Chris. The tourney will start mid May and last through Mid October.

Winners will be given a 2015 Inshore Charter at Half Price and a T shirt for the entire crew that came that day!

Book a trip soon to catch the best dates and tides to get that fish of a lifetime!

Manolin Charters Introduces the "Mary Jocelyn"

It's starting to feel like spring finally! As we all use these warm, sunny days to prepare for the upcoming season, I have very special announcement to make: Manolin Charters will have a new vessel for 2014 and for many years beyond! I am extremely proud to officially announce our new boat, the "Mary Jocelyn."

The Mary Jocelyn is a 2009 Parker 23 Special Edition Center Console. If you know anything about boats, you are certainly aware of the rugged, tough, no-nonsense design that have made Parker famous across the country. One of the premier fishing boats in the Northeast, Parker is a family owned company in the Carolinas that has been building quality fishing boats for years. The open layout, high end building materials, and smart design has made their 23 ft Special Edition a dream of mine for years. 

This boat is a serious fishing machine and will be much loved by our guests in 2014 and for many, many years to come. It has all the bells and whistles (Check out the boat in full detail in "The Boat" section of the website) to accompany the hardcore anglers to the family with small kids. I am truly happy to have made this purchase and want you to share what I consider the BEST boat for our styles of fishing!

I will miss "Manolin" as we had a great 2 seasons with her. She was a great boat and suited my needs almost perfectly. We got a lot of blood on that deck and many a great memory. The opportunity arose for the "Mary Jocelyn", my dream boat, and I had to make it happen. We gain a lot of new features, 2 more feet, and a LOT more deck space. Not to mention radar, a livewell twice as big, swivel rod holders, Lowrance StructureScan and SonicHub, Porta Potti, and eisenglass enclosure with wings. 

If you want to fish with a premier New England Fishing Charter - from the fishing, to the captain, to the boat, to the location, to the price - Look no further, Manolin Charters does it right! 

Tight Lines,

Capt. Chris

The Maiden Voyage of the "Mary Jocelyn"

Spring is Almost Here!

Welcome back everybody! As we are all struggling with the horrid winter we are dealing with in the Northeast, I am using my time wisely to gear up and get ready for the season! There has been countless hours in the basement stripping line, greasing reels, cleaning rods, and making rigs in preparation for when the first run of stripers show up! Our fishing gear remains to be top of the line and is a great asset to you aboard your fishing charter! Every piece of equipment was purchased to maximize your comfort and dialed in to fish the way we do,

In addition to all the time in the basement, I also felt the Manolin Charters Website was do for an upgrade. The old version was too bland and too hard to read. I feel like it didn't fully represent us as a company as we strive to be the best in every aspect of what we do: from the fishing, to customer satisfaction, to leaving our blueprint all of the internet! As I get used to the new programming, more and more updates will show up as we move through time. 

For those of you who have come fishing out of Newburyport with us before and have your fishing reports on my old website, check back here within a few days and check out the PICS page! Its a little cleaner and smoother than before. Also, this year I will be posting weekly fishing reports every Wednesday to get you all geared up for the weekend ahead. 

I am so excited to start the season, our business has grown quickly as evident by our returning customer base and the amount of new clients booked over the winter. 

I want to end on this comment: Manolin Charters will have a big announcement coming in the next week or so. Stay tuned........

Capt. Chris Valaskatgis