By Tom O
…was a good one! Capt. Josh took the Yankee Freedom out on Saturday, December 19 for the Yankee Fleet’s final fishing trip of 2009. He reports a good day overall for the 30 anglers on board, most of whom were regulars willing to brave the chill for one last shot at some pollock and haddock.
The morning started off a bit slow, as the pollock were scattered high in the water column and were tough to set up on. Over the course of the first stop, however, the fish settled further down near the bottom and began to feed, and an hour after anchoring up it was fish(or double-header)-a-cast action for most on board. All good-sized specimens today averaging 12-15 pounds with a plump 24-pounder winning the pool.
After hammering away at the pollock for an hour or so, Josh steamed off in search of haddock with fair success, plus more pollock. Looking to end the day/season with a bang, he moved back onto the pollock for the last stop to fill up the sacks and freezers for the long winter ahead.
Thanks to everyone for a memorable 2009 season. Happy holidays to you and yours and see you in April!
Willy G
By Tom O
The Yankee Freedom is scheduled to head out on both Saturday and Sunday, weather permitting, from 7AM-4PM, targeting haddock and pollock. At least 17 people need to book to make it a go–be sure to call the office by 4PM at the latest the day before each trip to make a reservation!
By Tom O
The weather’s washed out the last couple of days, but the Yankee Freedom is planning to head out Sunday. Give the office a call to get out there! Large heated cabin and galley to ward off the winter chill.
Willy
By Tom O
Sorry for the recent delay in updates!
Capt. Josh took the Yankee Freedom out last Friday, December 4 and reports a fair to good day overall. The pollock were on the move, and it was hard to effectively anchor on top of them, making their successful capture a function of Josh’s persistence at the wheel and anglers’ persistence at the rail. Most of the trip consisted of quick flurries followed by a few minutes of nothing, then another quick flurry, as schools of fish would scurry under the boat. As usual, skilled casters like Dave Parsons, who had upwards of fifteen fish himself, hooked up far more consistently than those who flopped their jigs straight down. They tried a stop for haddock at the end of the day with limited success, experiencing only a slow pick on the silver ones. A 20-pound pollock won the pool. The highlight of the day was a fat 28-30-pound codfish that snapped up a jig before being successfully lip-gaffed and released by mate Capt. Kirk. Them’s the breaks.
The Yankee Freedom is scheduled to run this coming Thursday through Sunday, weather permitting. Give the office a call for an update on the weather and to make sure there are enough anglers booked for the boat to sail.
Willy
Yankee Fleet