June 17 to 20

By tomconley

It’s June 22—hooray for summer! Right…this nor’easter is not only making life miserable for most New Englanders but is also putting a damper on efforts to cash in on the good haddock bite that’s been taking place off Gloucester over the past few weeks. The boats haven’t been out since Saturday, and it looks like they won’t be getting out again until at least Wednesday. Tomorrow’s trip has already been canceled.

Capt. Josh reports that last Wednesday-Friday’s (6/17-19) trips aboard the Yankee Clipper experienced a good haddock bite, with some nice market cod mixed in. When conditions allowed, drifting provided the most consistent action, but if anglers were patient while sitting on the anchor the scent of the clams would eventually draw a school of haddock to the boat. The fishing on the anchor was generally characterized by a steady grinding pick, with a couple of haddock on at all times, punctuated by flurries of activity during which 6-10 fish would come up at once. Persistence pays off! Reel up to check your baits every couple of minutes and make sure that you maintain contact with the bottom to stay in the zone.

On Saturday’s trip, unfortunately, the bite was not to be found, and Josh had to work hard in order to scratch a day together for the full boat of anglers. There wasn’t a breath of wind but there was a ripping tidal current that not only made anchoring a necessity but also made it difficult to tend the lines and stay on the bottom, causing a lot of tangles. A slow day overall.

Other notes: Dogfish have been present but not a complete nuisance—a single, unadorned baited hook fished close to the sinker has been effective at culling out the haddock. Jiggers have been catching mostly short cod, but the more experienced among them have been able to catch some nice haddock as well as the occasional market cod or 6-10-pound pollock. Pool winners have been cod in the 12-15-pound range, which have generally snapped up jigs. But if your goal is to put meat in the boat, it’s tough to beat a strip or belly of skimmer clam presented alluringly on the ocean floor. Catch ‘em up!

Reporting live from Woods Hole,

Willy G.