Hi Folks !At the end of May there were lots of fish in our area although the waters are a bit cooler due to the cloudy month of May. The sun is out again today and that should help things along as well. As the waters warm, the plankton blooms start the lower food chains and then the herring, mackerel and squid move into our waters. Behind them come our migrating bluefin tuna and striped bass. Further warming of the water temperatures will bring bluefish. Cape Cod Bay and the southern reaches of Nantucket Sound will be the first areas to get action as they warm faster than the ocean waters to the east of Chatham. In fact Cape Cod Bay boats are experiencing some really great striper fishing now. Down in Nantucket Sound a friend and charter captain from Nantucket has been reporting great fishing on sea bass (the black ones) and tells me there are mackerel; in the area in good abundance. That is a great sign for some early bluefin tuna fishing.
The Marilyn S will go into the waters this week, as we generally start later in the spring than some of the operations that fish in the early warming waters. Sure I wish I could be catching stripers in May, but later on when those shallower bays have waters so warm that bluefish move in and take over the areas, I will be plying the cooler ocean waters, and still be catching stripers well into late September and October. Lots of folks have been calling looking for trips in May, especially around Memorial Day, and I just tell them the truth, in that they would be better off chartering a boat in Cape Cod bay then. I would rather do that than take them out and not do well and make them happy. Honesty is best, besides I will get my chances at plenty of stripers and bluefin starting mid June and well into October.
I hope to see you then,
Cant. Bruce & Marilyn S