Offshore Pursuits Fishing News and Reports

Lets start 2008 off with a bang!

2008-01-02T19:09:00.000-08:00

It has been a while, but but we are back on a mission! First, I hope all of you had a great Holiday season! I spent mine down in Hatteras NC, chasing chiant bluefin tuna. Notice the word "chasing", not catching. It was giants or nothing, and I had a great time doing the hunt aboard the "Tuna Duck" with Capt. Dan Rooks. If you are ever in the area and want too fish with the best, give Dan a call. I have fished with him on many occaisions, and more the majority of the time we are into fish. It was definately a good time, but for me, it is all about the hunt.

Now is the time that most of us start dreaming of the season to come. This year Offshore Pursuits will be doing 2 saltwater shows. One will be the Rhode Island Show, while the other one will be in New Jersey. I will get you specific dates as I get them.

There will be lots of new and exciting changes at offshore pursuits this coming season. Lots of new products, both our own and those offered by other manufacturers. There will be lots of video, product reviews, and in depth articles on how to rig and fish for success.

If you get bored this winter, drop me a line anytime at dave@offshorepursuits.com. I am always eager to hear from fellow fisherman who like to talk.

Stay tuned for more! Dave

Congratulations to the crew of the Maverick!

2007-07-03T18:55:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to the crew of the Maverick!

The Maverick won the Allen Harbor 4th of July Shootout scoring 197 points ( 65 stripers and two blues ) during five hours of fishing. The three anglers Joann Riley, Stan Gawron and Bruce Brody each kept one bass for the grille and released 62 healthy fish. The fish were feeding on sand eels on the North Tide and squid on the South. During the change of tide we moved off the rip and continued to catch in deeper water. The nearest competitor was the Reel Attitude with 101 points ( 95 blues and two stripers ).

The Tuna Bite is On!

2007-06-20T18:02:00.000-07:00

The tuna bite is on! This past weekend through today has seen numerous reports of multiple fish days with fish to 120 lbs common. There are hints of bigger fish taken, but I can't give you anything concrete on that yet.

I can tell you that Capt. Jack Riley of Maverick Charters in Allen Harbor brought in the first tuna of the season among the charter fleet. One of his customers landed a decent 50+ inch fish. The Maverick and crew were testing the new East of Chatham squid rigs and the Offshore Pursuits Tuna Trains when they hooked up. Interestingly, another boat within the general vicinity was pulling a prototype East of Chatham squid rig and reported fish all over it. You will hear more on these rigs in the very near future.

I can tell you that the bite is an early morning bite, with the choice of lure color or squid color not as important as being there early. The fish are hitting squid rigs and green machine type trains, in a variety of colors. There are massive schools of bluefish around the tuna, so be prepared to get tore up. It seems from all reports that soon after 8:00 am the bite goes cold.

The Chatham break...To fill or not to fill?

2007-06-04T17:55:00.000-07:00

The below link is to a story in today's Boston globe about the break in the Outer Beach off Chatham. It is a very interesting article. Check it out.

Read the story here.

For those of you who remember the Chatham of old...and by old I mean when the outer beach stretched all the way to the northern tip of Monmoy, then you remember what a traumatic experience it was when the cut of today broke through.

Now there is the new cut to contend with. By the looks of it, it could very well become the new channel to the ocean...if allowed to.

It will be very interesting to see if the National Park Service will allow the filling in of the new break, given their policy of letting nature take it's course.

At the risk of causing an all out war, I would be very interested in hearing what other viewers have to say on this. I lived in Chatham, in fact, I lived on Ministers Point many years ago. I would hate to see anybody get hurt by the new break, but on the other hand, it seems to me that if allowed to fill in the gap, a precedence will be set.

I would like to hear what other people think on this subject. I consider Chatham to be where my roots are, so yes...I do care what happens there.

Memorial Day and what it means...

2007-05-24T19:58:00.000-07:00

While fishing will be on most everybody's mind this weekend (if you are reading this anyway), lets not forget that it is Memorial Day on Monday. I am sure Memorial Day has many different meanings to many different people.

All fishermen, both commercial and recreational, rely heavily on the United States Coast Guard. Many, if not most of us take them for granted. Take for granted that when an emergency happens, the Coast Guard is a call away. Below is a link to an article I found in the Cape Cod Chronicle titled

" Remembering Jeffrey Palazzo

Chatham Coast Guardsman Perished In World Trade Center Rescue

by Alan Pollock"

The article is well worth your time. I think it defines the meaning of Memorial Day in terms that we can all relate to.

Click here to read the full story.

New Chatham Cut

2007-04-29T19:04:00.000-07:00

We all know of the new break in Chathams outer beach that was formed durring the prolonged Nor'easter of a couple of weeks ago. The last time this happened what is now the inlet to Pleasant Bay was formed. My question is this...Will the latest break heal itself, or will the new cut be here to stay?

Some experts say it will close in on it's own, while others say it won't. What they all say is that they won't commit either way.

I really would like to hear what people think of this. There are a lot of people who know the waters off Chatham intimately, and who are most likely to be the "experts" here. What do you think?

Offshore Pursuit - The Book

2007-04-22T20:00:00.000-07:00

Every now and then you come accross a book that you think everybody should have. By everybody, I mean anybody who loves to fish offshore.

I have found just such a book. Offshore Pursuit (no relationship to Offshore Pursuits), by John Unkart, is a book that has something for everyone. Read on...

Learn how to rig trolling baits like the pros do, with different methods to fit different situations. Find the most productive offshore trolling areas. Tease marlin to the hook. What baits each species prefers, methods of trolling, types of spreads, how to chunk for tuna, and when and how to use special tools such as kites, downriggers, and planers, are all covered in detail. Easy to understand diagrams, illustrations, and photographs take the mystery out of specialized offshore fishing knots, rigging techniques, and custom tackle design. Apply the tactics and techniques detailed by blue water fishing pro John Unkart, and your catch rate is bound to grow exponentially. Whether you're after billfish, mahi-mahi, wahoo or tuna, you'll gain the hard-earned insight and knowledge Unkart has accumulated through more than 40 years of offshore experience. From rigging techniques to tips on how to fight trophy fish, it’s all in this book.

About the author: John Unkart took his first offshore run over 40 years ago, and has worked the cockpit on charterboats like the Strike III and the Volcania professionally for over a decade. Writing how-to articles for magazines including Boating and The Fisherman, he quickly earned a reputation for straight talk and a no BS attitude. Unkart takes recreational blue-water anglers to the next level with his book Offshore Pursuit.

You can purchase Offshore Pursuit at Offshore Pursuits Premium Tackle (again, no relationship here).

Again, this is a book well worth having, and at $19.95, it's a real bargain!

Storms and other stuff.....

2007-04-15T18:52:00.000-07:00

I hope all of you affected by the storm are doing well!

As for "other stuff", I received an email today from Chris Weiner of the Choir Coalition regarding a message he came across detailing a river herring tagging project. It is very informative reading, and the results effect all of us who pursue the fish that pursue the herring! You can read the full message here.

The final Rule for the 2007-2009 Herring Fishery

2007-04-10T18:38:00.000-07:00

04/10/07

The Final Rule for the 2007-2009 herring fishery specifications was published today in the Federal Register. You can read the full text here.

Back at it....

2007-04-07T16:13:00.000-07:00

I just now returned from the Cape...Not a pleasant trip, as the sole purpose was to attend my mothers funeral. It was ironic that the day of the funeral the cast of the movie "Chatham" filmed the cemetary scene at the same time that we held the service for my mother, whose grandfather, Joseph C. Lincoln, wrote the book that the movie is based on.

The weather was winter like the whole week we where there, and it WAS winter here when we retuned.

I spent some time walking the beach below the Chatham light...big change since I was there in September! I don't know how the boats from the fish pier are getting out, because the day I walked the shore there was a solid line of breakers at the mouth of the inlet. It doesn't look good at this point.

I talked to some ex-tuna fisherman in depth as to what effect the closure in the Gulf of Maine to herring pair trawleres will have this season on the tuna bite. In the end, it was "we will see".

In memory of Crosby Higgins....

2007-03-28T18:51:00.000-07:00

Crosby Higgins, my mother, and the granddaughter of Joseph C. Lincoln, died peacefully at her home today in Chatham. She will be sadly missed by all who knew and loved her...

"Inshore herring trawling ban will aid groundfish stocks"

2007-03-28T18:39:00.000-07:00

Below is a part of a very ineresting article by Douglas A. Moser , Staff writer with the Gloucester Daily Times.

"A new ban on inshore trawling for herring that will begin this summer will help struggling groundfish stocks by keeping more herring around for them to feed on, supporters of the move said. Vessels using trawling gear to catch herring must now take the summers off in the inshore area of the Gulf of Maine as a result of a change in federal fishery regulations approved earlier this month.

Other kinds of gear, such as purse seine nets designed to catch pelagic species, will still be legal, causing some fishermen to cry foul because the hard limit for catching herring in Area 1A - 50,000 metric tons - remains in effect, meaning no more herring can be caught in Area 1A once that limit has been reached."

The full article can be read here.

Bluefin Tuna Bite off Hatteras!

2007-03-26T18:18:00.000-07:00

This past weekend saw a bunch of bluefin up to 220 lbs. taken from the waters off Hatteras, NC. There were a few yellowfin taken, some nice wahoo, a white marlin, and a couple mako. If you ever get the chance to fish down there, you will have the time of your life. It puts fishing in a whole different perspective.

I have fished bluefin both off Cape Cod, and off Cape Hatteras in the winter. They are definately two different worlds. Don't get me wrong...I love them both. My heart and soul is on cape Cod, but I sure do love the fishing off Cape Hatteras.

A few years back I went down there over Christmas to attempt landing a giant bluefin on a spinning rod. They said I was crazy, but we did it. A documented 350 lb bluefin on a spinning rod. It made all the papers down there anyway...Something about a crazy fool with a spinning rod chasing bluefin! Not really...but it did make all the papers, as well as a mention in Saltwater Sportsman.

You can read the full story here if you wish.

I know what I wish...I wish I was in Hatteras fishing!

The Gloucester fleet has a good winter!

2007-03-25T16:13:00.000-07:00

Below is the leading paragraph from a great article written by Peter K. Prybot of the Gloucester Daily Times, dated march 24,2007.

"Gloucester's groundfishery machine has flowed this winter at a time when the weather or more restrictive fishing rules could have slowed it to a periwinkle's crawl. The weather, fish, harvesters, dealers and processors and consumers made this happen. How did this positive scenario unravel?"

For a copy of the complete article (very good reading), click here.

I would rather be fishing....

2007-03-24T20:11:00.000-07:00

I hope I have this fixed....

This is my first...so please be kind!

2007-03-24T20:00:00.000-07:00

This is my very first attempt at blogging. I love to talk fishing and news that affects the type of fishing I love the most...offshore big game fishing...giant bluefin tuna to be exact, with blue marlin a close second. Giant bluefin I have landed, and blue marlin I have hooked...but to me it is the pursuit, or hunt if you will, that makes it all worth while. Anybody that has fished offshore knows that it is far more "pursuit" than actual catch. Who would have it any other way?
So here we sit, still pretty much winter, dreaming of the season to come, and those special seasons past. Let's hope that this is a great season for all!