Dusky BlogCustom fishing boats since 1966

It is around this time every year that I get about as antsy and restless as any one person could be, without becoming a basket case. The weather has finally turned for the better for good, with warmer nights and rapidly improving water conditions. However, the middle two weeks of the month of may have always been the worst of the pining for the offshore grounds and pelagic fish. The time is usually spent one of two ways, either micro tackle for squid, sea bass, and porgy, or light tackle jigging and popping for striped bass. This season has seen a much more traditional weather scenario, with a cool spring and cool water temps. As a result, two key features have dominated what the pursued quarry has been for this period in 2013 for Coastal Charters Sportfishing. The first is the lack of squid that have shown up on the first potential moon, rendering the former an unattractive option for my clients, and the crystal clear, cold water present in the upper reaches of our bays and rivers, typically already becoming stained from all the algae, zooplankton, and nutrients. There has been little to no rain since the beginning of the month, so with little run-off the water has remained winter-like in it’s clarity, but most definitely spring-like in the amount of life that has shown up in force. The bait is staggering, and the amount of predatory striped bass is just as thick, with good sizes of healthy specimens showing up to feed along with many bluefish of all sizes.

The Menhaden are so abundant that it is difficult to get down past the school with a jig to target the hungry striped bass feeding below.

The “piranha” of the northeast saltwater, a nice bluefish caught on light tackle aboard Coastal Charters Sportfishing.

We target these fish ranging in size from 2 pounds with the bluefish, up to an over 35 pounds on the striped bass using light tackle spinning rods with 20-40 sized reels and fast action, one-piece 7 foot spinning rods rated for 12-20 pound line. An uni to uni-knot join for the 12 pound braided line and 15-20 pound fluorocarbon leader makes for a nice seamless connection to avoid having to use a swivel. Small surface poppers, swim baits, and soft plastics are the common offering, along with buck tails, metal jigs and casting tins to mimic the smaller sardines and shrimp that are also present in good numbers. We have enjoyed fantastic mornings with some great sunrises, and non-stop action every trip out for the last week straight. The stripers as well as the bluefish provide great sport along with the first good outdoor barbecue or grill fish of the year. This is only a short diversion for my Dusky, which already looks out of place and longing for blue water in the confines of the upper bay I have been working. The first reports of bluefin have come in from the commercial fleet working just 3-50 miles offshore, so as soon as the offshore winds abate a bit we should get a chance to go hunting for the first bluefin of the year to grace the decks here at Coastal Charters Sportfishing. From that point on it will be nothing but tuna in the crosshairs, stay tuned for another wild season with us.

Sunrise over the Mt. Hope Bridge in upper Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island.

A healthy striped bass caught on light tackle aboard Coastal Charters Sportfishing

Coastal Charters Dusky 256 working the upper river off Providence, Rhode Island for early season striped bass.

A very unhappy striped bass spraying water just after being hooked aboard Coastal Charters Sportfishing.

The full moon phase begins next week, and this is traditionally the big push of the main body of bluefin tuna along our coastline, as they migrate along the northeast coastline. The water temps are cool which keeps the larger baits happy, and in turn should provide for incredible topwater action. When bluefin get on large baits near the surface, the hits are insane, and more explosive than just about any other bite an angler could encounter. I am sure the stripers will get in our way, but they become more of a nuisance when we are after bluefin! What an amazing fishery we have here in southern New England, if you have not yet visited please consider making plans to get here as soon as you can. For those that have already visited once, why not come back for more, and hop aboard the Dusky for some adventure and fun out on the Salt. Thanks, as always, for checking out my content, and stay tuned for more!

Thomas Boss showing off a fine striped bass caught recently aboard Coastal Charters Sportfishing.

To book a charter with Capt. Dom, please visit http://www.coastalcharterssportfishing.com

…but warmer weather has finally taken over and pushed it out for good at the end of April here in southern New England. I am sorry that I did not stay active here with my updates, but having no phones, and living entirely off-grid in a remote area of the world just didn’t fit well with my technologically challenged  and purposely laid-back winter lifestyle! The Dusky was under wraps riding out the miserable, rather snowy New England winter while yours truly spent the interim in much warmer latitudes; my home-away-from home down on the Caribbean is in a sleepy little Mexican outpost called Xcalak; a tiny village of 450 local residents on the Yucatan border of Mexico and Belize. With a re-power last year  on the Dusky getting new Zukes coupled with a very good end-of-year clean-up, there was  not much to do with the girl this spring. A good thorough cleaning, touch up on deck paint, complete spring run through of the systems and just 2 days after uncovering her she was ready for a splash and a little run through her paces. As usual, it was as if I never left the helm, and the boat responded immediately just like a good friend that knows you would, with immediate response, ready for working hard and playing hard, having fun the whole time.

View from the helm of Coastal Charters Sportfishing‘s Dusky 256

The expansive raised casting deck and custom bow rail are a key advantage for all the light tackle topwater action with BIG bluefin aboard Coastal Charters Sportfishing.

A little shakedown cruise was quickly followed by the first  official trip of the season, for the only show in town nearshore; the always fun, always feisty, always tasty Tautog, a.k.a the Blackfish. These tough little game fish are a very challenging and fun target species, requiring just some willing ness to get your offerings stolen at will and a good amount of crabs for bait. The spring run begins on April 15th, and features some fast action right before the spawn, typically the second or third week of May. This year it was exactly 5 days long, due t the colder than average winter and resulting water temperatures at the end of April. Once they begin the spawn, they will not feed very much for the duration, and the season also closes just after the beginning of the month to allow them unimpeded reproductive time under the state regulations. We did manage to get out 3 of the 5 days that they bit well, and had great fun with easy limits every trip, and had a bunch of fun tagging and releasing the rest with archival tags from the American Littoral Society. Tog are very slow growing, and migrate in a small area, so these tags help study the stock dispersion and movements, to better manage the species. A few make it to the dinner table as they provide very tasty filets, but the majority are released just fine to fight another day.

Fat spring Tautog caught aboard Coastal Charters Sportfishing.

This week saw the arrival of our first decent sized striped bass, migrating north from their winter grounds to the south. The first waves of fish to show are always hungry and provide incredible action on the light gear, We use 10 pound test braid with 12 pound fluorocarbon leader, and a variety of small artifical lures. The first 2 trips of the week saw non-stop action on 20″ to 35″ fish, and the first few keeper sized fish made it to the coolers and onto the grill, a great way to start the season. This is of course just a short warm up as we wait for the first bluefin tuna to show. Once these fish make their appearance sometime towards the mid to latter part of this month, that is all the Dusky will be focused on from day to day(and night to night!). Of course other species get in our way and rarely will we discriminate, but the allure of the tuna is just too strong and dominates the attention of every crew member that hops aboard. By the end of the month we should be right back into the swing of things, picking up right where we left off with hordes of bluefin tuna all around the boat, and hopefully on the deck!  I will of course have my camera at the ready, and we have also added two GoPro Hero HD video cameras on mounts in the T-Top to capture all the action in a little different format for your enjoyment. Stay tuned for my semi-regular picture blogs, and hopefully video updates as well, as the 2013 season’s adventures unfold aboard Coastal Charters Sportfishing.

A nice healthy striped bass caught with light tackle on an artificial lure aboard Coastal Charters Sportfishing

A striped bass breaks the surface as it feeds on a fresh hatch of cinder worms in Narragansett Bay, RI.

To book  a charter with Capt. Dom of Coastal Charters Sportfishing aboard his Dusky 256FC please visit http://www.coastalcharterssportfishing.com/

The 2012 bluefin season has come to end for me, but not for everyone here in New England. Once again a mild fall has resulted in a large body of big bluefin lingering just offshore. The weather has turned decidedly winter-like, and strong winds with heavy seas are the norm. For those with larger boats geared to offshore runs of 40-90 miles, there are some 300-600 pound bluefin feeding with reckless abandon on hapless sardines and herring schooled up in 40-50 fathoms just inside the submarine canyon edges along the continental shelf. The Dusky is an absolute beast of a boat, but running over 48 degree water this late in the season in an open boat just isn’t in the plans for this prudent captain. The tuna will have to wait until May before they are greeted once again by the bow of my boat with a few hungry anglers ready for battle.

The season ended on a rather bittersweet moment, getting out one last time in late November just after Thanksgiving. I had been waiting out the weather windows by filling the decent days with a bit of inshore fun with a local bottom dweller, the Tautog, a.k.a. the mighty Blackfish. A member of the wrasse family, this  local rock pile  resident is known for being a crafty, bait- stealing, hard fighting, and extremely tasty gamefish. Targeted on light  conventional tackle with 40 pound braid and a shock leader of 10 feet or so of 60 pound mono or fluorocarbon with a 5/0 bait hook and green or calico live crabs with 3-5 ounces of lead to get it down and hold bottom. These fish are great fun, saving the day for my anglers many times when the winds and seas prevent any offshore ventures. They are also very good table fare, a  dense, flavorful white meat with a very mild, almost sweet shellfish overtone to the fillets.

A healthy 5 pound Tautog specimen from the waters off southern New England. Great fun on light tackle, and good fights with sizes reaching 15 pounds or more!

Capt. Dom showing off a nice 9 pound “tog” taken aboard Coastal Charters Sportfishing.

The wind allowed for just one more trip offshore in November, right after Thanksgiving. I had one client left willing to brave the cold morning run to the grounds, and a chilly day of chasing tuna with very little company to join us. Once again, the sunrise did not disappoint, with a surface layer of fog mixing with some low level clouds, casting an amazing glow on everything.

Final sunrise of the 2012 season aboard Coastal Charters Sportfishing in late November off Cape Cod, MA.

The frost on the windshield, and the chilly ride out was quickly forgotten, as we were greeted to immediate signs of active fish, with birds diving, and telltale showers of bait fish were visible as large predators worked them over from below. There were several pods of  larger bluefin in the 150-400 pound class up and visible, and we positioned the Dusky up wind of the feed and got to work casting topwater plugs. There were several close calls where fish came up and swiped at the offerings, but even though several fish took a bite, we could not firmly plant the hooks into the tunas’ mouths. They have an extremely hard jaw play, making it difficult to set the hooks once they bite, and being apex predators they don’t give much time before they are trying anything possible to spit the lure out once they realize it is not what they were expecting when they charged the lure and committed to a bite. The feeds quickly died off to random splashes too far apart and random to target them properly. The daylight comes on quickly and the sun gets high very rapidly in the fall months, so the typical mid morning through early afternoon doldrum set in, and we basically killed time in the general area where we had the early feeds, hoping for a lingering strike from an unseen tuna. Just as the day was almost out of time, my client Young hooked into an unseen monster. The fish was much bigger than we the size we normally target, and the spool stayed empty after the first 2 runs, having to keep the boat in gear just to keep up with it. Young fought the fish valiantly for 45 minutes, but the fish easily sawed through our 130 pound leader, feeling no worse for the wear after it’s tame run in with our light jig stick, sporting a lip ring for a day or so until the hooks fell or rusted out…..dashing hopes to end the season on different note than it had started with the slow, difficult start back in May. Tuna are apex predators, and will humble even the best of fisherman on a regular basis. It is the challenge, and this humbling that keeps me and my anglers coming back for more. Time to cover up the Dusky, winterize the outboards, and watch the days tick off the 2013 calendar towards the month of May, when it starts anew. Happy Holidays to all!

All smiles at the hook up, on a late season tuna trip aboard Coastal Charters Sportfishing.

To book  a charter with Capt. Dom of Coastal Charters Sportfishing aboard his Dusky 256FC please visit http://www.coastalcharterssportfishing.com/

Once the calendar rolls around to the end of October, the weather here in southern New England becomes the main player out on the fishing grounds. There become far fewer windows to leave the dock in search of tuna offshore, and often times with the cold and residual sloppy seas left over from fast moving and powerful low pressure systems we do fish in less than ideal conditions. Up until mid October of this season we had for the most part been blessed with very mild air and sea temperatures, and very little in the way of large storms. That all changed last week, with the landfall of  Sandy, a very large tropical system that slammed into the entire northeast coast of the US,  followed by another strong northeasterly storm just one week later. I was fortunate enough to have my Dusky up on trailer already, so was able to move my boat out of harm’s way. Many around me were not so lucky, as the storm took it’s toll on many marinas in this area. There was a brief weather window where we managed to sneak out, and we were greeted to slick calm conditions and unbelievable marine life. Vast pods of dolphin with piles of sea birds over them greeted us this amazing autumn day, but had zero signs of any feeding tuna mixed in with them. We played with the dolphin for quite some time, as they were very curious about the people aboard watching them swim around the boat. After some great photo opportunities, we reluctantly left our mammalian friends and headed off in search of some hungry bluefin.

Atlantic white-sided dolphin playing off the bow of Coastal Charters Sportfishing‘s Dusky 256

Still water is good for viewing marine mammals, but not so great for tuna fishing. Great visibility on a calm November morning aboard Coastal Charters Sportfishing.

The mackerel have shown back up in huge numbers, joined by many menhaden, shad, and herring which are coming out of the rivers and harbors where they lingered all spring and summer long. This creates a bounty of large, fat- packed forage meals for the bluefin tuna, and a great opportunity for anglers to score a fish on the jig. Dropping a slab of metal down and fooling a difficult predator like the bluefin tuna into committing on a strike has to be the ultimate challenge in fishing for pelagic species.  With the proverbial “calm before the storm” glass-slick water there would be very few if any signs of surface feeds of tuna, as both bait and predator prefer to stay deep when the visibility is so good. Once we located a good spot away from the rest of the fleet, we positioned the Dusky on drift and got the jigs moving through the water column. The bluefin were marking well on the sonar between 60-90 feet under the Dusky, and it didn’t take long before we were tight to a tuna. After a spirited battle, the bluefin was landed and iced down in the box for consumption later, and we reset on the same drift. The process was repeated with regularity, and we managed to land several more bluefin, all of which were tagged and released to fight another day.

Another happy angler aboard Coastal Charters Sportfishing tight to a bluefin tuna off Cape Cod, MA.

Bluefin tuna that was fooled by a jig about to be gaffed aboard Coastal Charters Sportfishing.

The results…a happy angler after landing a bluefin on a jig aboard Coastal Charters Sportfishing.

Days like this will be fewer and far between, as yet another system unleashes heavy winds and large waves throughout the fishing grounds. It takes several days minimum before the water settles enough to fish, sometimes more. There aren’t that many days left on the calendar before the bluefin disappear from these waters in search of more favorable winter waters.  Despite the challenging weather and very cold days, there are some intrepid anglers that refuse to give up and take advantage of the few breaks mother nature allows. I will have the Dusky fueled and ready, for at least until after Thanksgiving, hopefully longer. During this time to reflect on what we are grateful for in life, there are those who were not so fortunate to have escaped the wrath of the recent storms path. Please consider donating whatever you can in way of food, clothes, or monetary donations to those less comfortable and in need.  Thanks for checking out my content, and stay tuned for the next update, which hopefully includes more bluefin tuna action before it’s all over till next season!

Dusky 256 with custom bow rail, in the hunt for bluefin tuna in late October off Cape Cod, MA.

To book  a charter with Capt. Dom of Coastal Charters Sportfishing aboard his Dusky 256FC please visit http://www.coastalcharterssportfishing.com/

The air has finally gotten a bit of cold and rawness to it, the daylight hours are waning fast, and the weather is once again the big factor for light tackle bluefin fishing here in Cape Cod. The wind has really come on from the constant barrage of low pressure  systems followed by brief and fast moving unsettled highs from the north, making it difficult to leave the dock in an open center console vessel, or any water craft for that matter around these parts. The fishing has done anything but cooled with the season, remaining lights-out for the most part anytime I can manage to get a crew off the dock. Bad weather is often the only thing keeping us from fish once the annual fall run kicks in. The bluefin, along with many other migratory fish that visit our waters in the temperate months, will begin to feed in earnest as they pack in fat reserves in preparation of the journey to other, more favorable winter water. Many of the juvenile baitfish that remained in the safety  of protected rivers and harbors all summer long begin to spill out into the bays and nearshore waters, providing additional prey to the already abundant stocks that the resident fish have found and been feeding on the past couple of months. This often brings even more schools of hungry tuna to the nearshore grounds, increasing the odds of getting a hot bite anytime the weather gods allow it. Thankfully the fish get more cooperative, as often when the winds die out, the fog rolls in making surface feeds difficult to spot. This is when using radar and sonar to locate both above and below surface indicators will score fish, as their presence is given away by modern technology and a bit of local knowledge.

Calm conditions with pea soup fog often greet bluefin anglers in Autumn months off Cape Cod, MA.

There are still the occasional clear, calm, and comfortable days, but many intrepid bluefin angler knows that generally the more uncomfortable they are, the better the fishing will be for the elusive tuna. With proper clothing management of thin breathable layers, good foul weather gear, and a hearty spirit, fall can be the best time of the year for pelagic pursuits here in southern New England. The effort and additional challenges make the catch all the more satisfying…

October sunrise over the bluefin tuna fishing grounds off Cape Cod, MA on a rare calm morning.

Light tackle fun aboard Coastal Charters Sportfishing.

Despite the weather constraints, there is still 6-8 weeks left in the season until the tuna are gone from these waters, and with a bit of lucky weather a few shots each week to get out and tangle with a bluefin. Using light tackle becomes easier during the latter part of the season, as fish not only feed heavily but more often, but more susceptible to the aggressive approach my anglers take in targeting them. Fish that once languished in the heat of summer, are now charged up in oxygen rich, colder water, often schooling together and aggressively herding shoals of bait to the surface, or corralling them down deep in tight balls. When they are bunched together and in a feeding mood, competition increases the chances to score a solid, violent hit on your artificial offering. The fish often hook themselves instantly, and then will fight much harder in the cold water as they have more energy to expend and less factors tiring them out. They will often feed all day long, instead of just at sporadic intervals, providing a much greater chance to score multiple fish in one outing. It is not all that uncommon to have 10-20 chances in the fall, compared to the average of 2-4 per trip. The jigs are becoming the weapon of choice, as fish feed in the midwater depths rather than at the top or bottom. The subsurface offerings allow the angler chances to score a hit on the drop, and then again while working the jig at various depths and varying speeds to entice a strike as the metal is retrieved back to the boat. Modern jigging gear is light and comfortable, yet durable and powerful enough to land fish of considerable size. Once the fishing slows, I will be incorporting a lot more gear information as well as techniques and methods into my blogs. For now, the focus is still on getting out on the water and tight to a bluefin aboard the Dusky anytime mother nature allows. Stay tuned for the next few weeks of fishing, it should be action packed!

Tiny rods matched up against big fish aboard Coastal Charters Sportfishing!

A bluefin about to be landed on light tackle aboard Coastal Charters Sportfishing.

100 pound class bluefin landed with light tackle aboard Coastal Charters Sportfishing.

To book  a charter with Capt. Dom of Coastal Charters Sportfishing aboard his Dusky 256FC please visit http://www.coastalcharterssportfishing.com/

September has arrived and made it halfway through the calendar page, and the bluefin tuna bite shows zero signs of slowing down; in fact it has gotten even better, if that is even possible. Every trip that has left the dock this month has scored at least one fish, with the best trip of the month(so far) seeing just one angler and the good captain get into 15 one-on-one battles with the mighty bluefin tuna, all on light tackle! The fish predominantly are 60-100 pound models, perfect size for the gear being employed aboard the Dusky here in southern New England. This class fish is still quite strong and difficult to fool, hook, and then subdue successfully, without being overly large and too difficult for one angler to handle. Often on the larger fish, especially with less-experienced crews, the angler is forced to pass off the rod to others for assistance; sometimes the rod goes around the entire crew several times before the fish is brought boat side for the capture or release. This size class of tuna is perfect for the average angler, and not so challenging that new anglers cannot handle them solo, greatly increasing the learning curve, as well as the natural sense of accomplishment one gets after a successful fight from start to finish unassisted.

“Breakfast” for a bluefin tuna, backdropped by a spectacular sunrise.

Angler Samantha Citrin getting nasty on a Cape Cod bluefin aboard Coastal Charters Sportfishing.

All smiles while tight to a bluefin tuna from the bow of Coastal Charters Sportfishing’s Dusky 256.

The bite in August was predominantly subsurface, with little to no signs of tuna present anywhere near the surface. Dropping jigs to fish identified by marks on the fish finder, and blind casting in likely areas bluefin were enticed into striking our artificial offerings, and then would be hooked and fought unseen back to the boat. September has seen the arrival of halfbeaks, a relative of the ballyhoo, in huge numbers. These are a fast moving, large bait that bluefin are very fond of. The schools of ‘beaks will gather together in large shoals, and then find themselves herded and targetted by angry “wolf-packs” of bluefin tuna and other gamefish. When the bluefin are able to separate a few of these from the main school, they drive the fish up to the surface and explode on them in an all-out, incredible frenzy. The gannets and shearwaters will often gather in the air above where the bluefin are working, indicating where the feed is about to take place. I manuever the Dusky quickly to the area where the birds have gathered, and the anglers stand ready to cast into the melee when it begins. The first few halfbeaks will all of a sudden start porpoising across the surface, the birds wheel and dive towards the fray, and then the bluefin rocket out of the water in all directions, eating as many of the poor baits as they can before they escape back into the depths. If the bluefin pod is large enough, often there will be several fish to start that clear water by almost unbelievable heights and distances, often doing flips or cartwheels before crashing back into the water. These aerial displays are incredible to witness, and provide an indelible mental image for all who witness them. The top-water bite has kicked into full swing once again, providing yet another opportunity for my anglers to get tight to an apex predator via light tackle rod and reel.  If the weather will remain stable with not too much wind, the 2012 autumn run for bluefin tuna here in Cape Cod and the surrounding waters will be one to remember for a long time. Stay tuned for more bluefin mayhem with Capt. Dom of Coastal Charters Sportfishing from the bow of the Dusky 256….

A hooked bluefin does a drive by early in the fight aboard Coastal Charters Sportfishing.

This bluefin is not happy to have his breakfast attached to an angler aboard the Dusky!

Up close shot of a perfect hook set by the angler that fooled this bluefin tuna with light tackle spinning gear aboard Coastal Charters Sportfishing.

Angler Samantha Citrin scored this nice bluefin tuna aboard Coastal Charters Sportfishing.

One of the larger bluefin brought boatside this month aboard Coastal Charters Sportfishing. This 140 pound bluefin was caught with light tackle by angler Mike Leonard.

The captain shows off a “lit-up” bluefin, with it’s colors still very fresh just after being successfully landed with light tackle aboard Coastal Charters Sportfishing.

To book  a charter with Capt. Dom of Coastal Charters Sportfishing aboard his Dusky 256FC please visit http://www.coastalcharterssportfishing.com/

Cape Cod, MA continues to prove itself as a world class bluefin tuna fishery, with August 2012 finishing up just as it started, red hot. Other than a brief period of  4 days of summer doldrums which was brought on by a very strong high pressure system bringing hot, windless days and flat-calm, gin clear, stagnant water it has been lights out fishing the entire month. The sunrises alone were worth the effort of getting up early, and the only real shows during the hot bright days from the marine mammals and the birds were in the first few hours before the sun and heat got cranking.

Another fantastic start to a tuna hunt aboard Coastal Charters Sportfishing.

Sunrise over the tuna grounds off Cape Cod, MA.

Most trips saw several chances to cast at busting fish on the surface, followed by good opportunities to work an area with blind casts or jigs and score unseen or deep water fish.  Crews that were willing to cast their offerings or drop jigs to the bottom, working them up and down off the bottom and back to the boat, constantly had a strong chance at coming tight to a bluefin on all of the trips. The weather was amazingly calm and comfortable to both transit as well as fish, with only 2 days of strong winds during the entire stretch. We got out even on those days, and had 2 of the better trips of the month. It is often said that the more uncomfortable you are, the better the fishing will be for tuna, and these days lived up to the adage. The heavy water often charges the fish up, and there are less boats to create disturbances. Because my Dusky 256 drifts stern-to under most conditions with the Suzukis positioned on centerline, my anglers are quite comfortable in sloppy, confused seas that we get with heavy NW or SW winds, both favorable for the bite in the areas I fish predominantly off the tip of Cape Cod, MA.

All smiles aboard Coastal Charters Sportfishing‘s Dusky 256 despite the heavy seas.

My crews were able to get out 29 of 31 days in the month, averaging better than 2 fish landed per trip, and making an absolute zombie out of yours truly. Because it is such a short season up here in New England, the summer months often force schedules that would impress an Alaskan king-crabber, starting at 3am and ending sometime around 5 or 6 pm after the boat is cleaned and readied to do it all over again daily! I am hoping that mother nature continues to be kind with favorable seas and good fishing, finishing up strong with a good fall after a tough start with a great middle season thus far.

Bluefin tuna breaking the surface while feeding on sand eels.

160 pound bluefin tuna caught with light tackle aboard Coastal Charters Sportfishing

A Cape Cod bluefin all “lit-up” and ready for landing aboard Coastal Charters Sportfishing.

The weather starts to play a hand in the schedule we can keep up, and the inevitable turn towards more unstable conditions will come soon enough as September rolls around. The cool nights and warm days, coupled with the spectrum of light turning towards the fall reds and yellows, should trigger the yearly anticipated “fall run”, when many of the resident fish will start to feed heavily to put on reserve fat for their annual migration out of our waters to parts unknown…..

Amazing colors in the bright sun on a freshly landed bluefin tuna.

To book  a charter with Capt. Dom of Coastal Charters Sportfishing aboard his Dusky 256FC please visit http://www.coastalcharterssportfishing.com/

The bite has really kicked into overdrive this month, and shows zero signs of stopping. My Dusky 256 Fisherman’s Cuddy and the twin ‘Zukes have put over 750 hours on these fish already this season, and they seem hungry for more each morning performing flawlessly each and every time I leave the dock on the hunt. There have been no shortage of good times and lots of hot action for the elusive bluefin. Each and every trip that has left the dock this month has seen multiple hookups, all with the insanely light gear we use in the “run and gun” tuna game. Spinning reels and small overhead(conventional) jigging reels have been getting artificial lures in front of herds of turned-on tuna feeding on the abundant natural bait we have been blessed with all season. The success rates for laned fish vary with luck, natural obstacles, other boats, and skill all having a play in the outcomes. Despite the hurdles, we have had fish on the deck early, and often these days here at Coastal Charters Sportfishing.

In the hunt at daybreak for bluefin tuna.

Dusky 256 with twin Suzuki outboards, headed home comfortably after a successful day of tuna fishing in Cape Cod, MA

Tight to a bluefin tuna from the bow of Coastal Charters Sportfishing‘s Dusky 256. Custom bow rail keeps the anglers in the boat!

The fish have been bunched up in tight schools finally, and are once again starting to get aggressive as competition increases amongst the fish in each school. The light spectrums are starting to change to a bit of light orange and red, and the nights are starting to get cooler than the days, triggering the first signs of the great late summer and fall runs we look forward to here in Cape Cod. There have been so many opportunities, and tired anglers that don’t mind letting one or two schools go by without getting fired up and looking to come tight to a bluefin, that I have been able to capture some incredible still shots of feeding schools, as well as others just traveling under the surface sunning themselves and digesting in the mid day hours when the sun is high.

Bluefin tuna feeding on sand eels in a foaming frenzy!

“Running” bluefin tuna, a term locals use to describe common schooling behavior after feeding. The fish get up in tight schools and “run” down tide at the surface, sunning themselves.

A successful angler fooled this nice 120 pound bluefin tuna with a surface plug worked on light tackle spinning gear.

The sizes of the tuna has continued to impress, with many different year-class fishing showing up with the average being about 75-100 pounds, with some smaller and even a few over 150 pounds! Each trip has seen opportunity to land both slot sizes for the charter permits I carry aboard my Dusky. The amount of tasty loin provided from just 2 of these fish can afford many a fresh meal for family and friends, with plenty left over to freeze or smoke for future enjoyment. I have been fortunate enough to get a bit of loin or some belly meat for some delicious sashimi, nice to savor the fruits of your labor from time to time….enjoy life, get out and fish, eat, drink, and be happy!

A healthy 60 pound tuna that fell for an unweighted, soft-plastic, finesse bait worked on ultra light tackle.

A nice 130 pound bluefin caught aboard Coastal Charters Sportfishing.

Fresh garlic-chili paste, wasabi, red onion slivers, lime and 4 different cuts of bluefin sashimi, including the prized toro, from the belly loin. Don’t forget a bit of tasty spirits to accompany such a fine meal!

To book  a charter with Capt. Dom of Coastal Charters Sportfishing aboard his Dusky 256FC please visit http://www.coastalcharterssportfishing.com/

This month has been spectacular for my anglers, with fish being hooked and landed each and every trip, sometimes more than just a few. After a somewhat slow start, the bluefin have moved in and have really turned on to the offerings that have been dragged around or in front of them recently. Both topwater lures as well as subsurface and vertical jigs are getting piled on with regularity, and the sizes of the fish have varied from 50-200 pounds, with the majority being nice 75-125 pound models, perfect for the gear we employ to have several chances per day, and the fish do not beat up the anglers so badly that they feel as if they were run over by a small car the day after! The weather has been fantastic, and the sunrises still painting the sky with amazing colors, and the whale show isn’t half bad either.

The trip that stands out as the star of the show was just this past Saturday, as 3 of my anglers got treated to the most incredible display of tuna feeding with reckless abandon. The morning started out with the first fish before sunrise, the limit of 2 tuna on the deck by 5:30am, and then a barrage of blow ups, missed hits, and near misses that left incredible holes in the ocean or amazing white-water being thrown from the violent hits by the lurking and angry tuna. Just about everything that hit the water got some attention, and 16 more bluefin we’re hooked and brought boat side before noon, when the anglers cried for mercy and we left the grounds early with tuna still biting.

Angler Mike Leonard getting nasty on a Cape Cod Bluefin

Cape Cod bluefin on the line!

This would be considered the trip of a lifetime for just about anyone that has ever picked up a fishing pole and wet a line. I don’t get impressed all that often, but this day was in my top 5 of all time for pure, raw nature at it’s finest.  We were able to place some archival research tags in many of the releases, a great way to help the scientists who are studying this amazing animal better understand their biology and life cycles.

Bluefin tuna being swum before release

Much is still unknown about the mighty bluefin, so hopefully these fish will be caught again in the future and provide a glimpse into where they roam and how long they live. I have been at it just about everyday this month, the schedule would even make some commercial crabmen weary! August is just about upon us, and with the number of fish around, it should be another spectacular month for anyone fortunate enough to hop onboard!

To book  a charter with Capt. Dom of Coastal Charters Sportfishing aboard his Dusky 256FC please visit http://www.coastalcharterssportfishing.com/

The bite continues for my anglers, with my Danish crew taking another fish the last day of their trip, with another Cape Cod bluefin of considerable heft for the gear employed. The anglers and the gear have come a long way in a short time with skill and solid equipment to tangle with these ultimate game fish.

What a trip these guys had, coming a long way with great expense and effort, to be rewarded with amazing fishing in Nat-Geo status wide open feeds, and incredible scenery. The whale shows have been nothing short of amazing, as have the sunrises the past week with the weather finally turning for the better. This is the stuff fishing dreams are made of, and why I love this fishery so much.

My german clients this week arrived to wonderful weather, and all though the full moon has gotten these fish sulky with heavy tides, and feeding all night on the abundant squid, sand eels, and herring, we still managed to have a great trip with multiple hookups on bluefin, including one they landed which taped out at 79″ and around 250 pounds! Some of the strikes they got on surface retrieved lures were some of the most incredibly violent takes I have ever witnessed…pure adrenaline overload. When we weren’t hunting tuna, the striped bass and bluefish continued to provide incredible light gear action, with a fish a cast wherever we encountered them, all on jigs and topwater plugs.

The full moon should finish up in a couple of days, and the fish that are already here should be joined by some new arrivals. The bait is staggering still, and the conditions seem prime for a good couple of weeks if the weather continues to hold.

To book  a charter with Capt. Dom of Coastal Charters Sportfishing aboard his Dusky 256FC please visit http://www.coastalcharterssportfishing.com/