11/19 Report “On the Water”

By Tom O

I had the opportunity to jump aboard the Yankee Freedom yesterday to help film a fishing show for On The Water Television. A full load of eager anglers joined Kevin (editor/host), Matt (cameraman) and I as Capt. Tom took us out in search of pollock and maybe some haddock as well. It was an absolutely perfect day out there—sunny, warm and calm, with just enough of a breeze to stay cool wearing just a long-sleeved T-shirt!

The morning started off with a bang—not quite “old-tyme-pollock slam”-level action but generally fish-a-cast activity for those slinging jigs with a generous amount of double-headers thrown in as well. Fish were of mixed sizes—one cast would result in a 20-incher; the next, a 20-pounder. I saw at least half a dozen fish pushing 20 pounds come over the rails, with one toad that probably went 25 taking the pool. I managed to hit three or four nice-sized (8-14-pound) fish on a light-tackle rod with a 6-ounce diamond jig as well, making for some fierce battles and great TV footage!

We shifted around a bit in the morning, and generally found fish eager to bite everywhere we went, but once the tide went slack in the late morning the pollock spread out and ceased to “make up” on the pieces of bottom where one would expect to find them. Nevertheless, anglers persisted throughout the late morning and into the afternoon, still enjoying a pick on pollock, cusk, hake, and a few haddock and short cod that were released.

Right at the end of the day the pollock seemed to turn back on again, and we enjoyed a fierce blast of action at the last stop before Tom pushed up the throttles and we headed back to G-town.

Overall, it was a tremendously enjoyable day on the water, with very good fishing on the pollock in the morning followed by a fair grinding pick for the rest of the day, followed by a good surge of activity right at the end. Thanks to Kevin, Matt, and of course the whole YF crew for another fun trip!

Willy