stellwagon bank for cod

[schipper55]

Hello all,

My wife and I just moved from chatham to plymouth and I am anxious to start fishing Stellwagon bank for cod/haddock. I'm in the process of selling my 20 c-hawk and upgrading to a 23' seacraft. I was just wondering if anyone here fishes stellwagon for cod?

[codfeesh]

ummm cap , im not positive but isnt commercial fishing on the bank a no no?

[Bigshrimpin]

I'm sure you aware of all the regs and rolling closures seeing that you have a federal permit (which is no longer available). I used to fish for Cod in the bay, when I lived in MA.

I never had much luck on (or inside) stellwagen . . . I've been told that the fish are outside of stellwagen from June - Sept . . . and will move inside Oct/Nov - May

Once you get your seacraft, use this chart and your fishfinder (around the drops). You'll should have no trouble catching your limit.

http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/of00-410/pdf/pseudo.pdf

(this is part of a series of USGS charts. . . It's an 8mb download. Beware if you have dialup.)

http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/of00-410/

If you buy the printed charts ($5/ea) each quardrent is poster size (all the charts taped together will easily cover an entire wall) That's a lot of detail.

[schipper55]

Thank you so much for the chart. I spent the whole day studying it. Its going to take me years to fish all these new locations! Some of the close ones like long bank and breakwater bank and the rockpile I can try with my boat now, the rest have to wait until I upgrade. My boat pounds so bad in anything over 3' waves, even if I slow down.

I wish I had a chart like that years ago where I used to fish out of Chatham.

Thanks again

cap

[Bigshrimpin]

Schipper55 - I fished the breakwaters and the rockpile last year in early sept for a few hours . . . . if I remember correctly the rockpile was pretty hot for pollack . . . lots of double headers with 15+lb pollack. Good Luck!! Keep me posted . . . I miss fishing that area.

[Bigshrimpin]

Schipper . . . have you tried any cod fishing lately?

[schipper55]

I haven't been out for a while. Between work and the weather I've been out of luck. I'm planning on going out next weekend if I get a day of good weather. I'm still studying that chart!

I'll let you know when I get em'

cap

[Bigshrimpin]

schipper55 - Have you gotten out fishing yet?

[schipper55]

I've been out a few times but just playing with some of the striped bass in the bay. I got my captains license and they scared me a little with all the stuff you need to be commercial fishing from October - April. Thats why I'm selling my 20' boat to get a larger one to fit the life raft, survival suits, and epirb which I don't currently have. As soon as I get all these things I'll be out there.

I have all these friends, family, and co-workers who go with me, and I think I should do the responsible thing and not go way out until I have what I need. Before the captains course I didn't know what I needed in cold weather, and didn't care, I just wanted to catch fish. But now that I have a license I have to do it right and be cautious. They scare the heck out of you in that course, and they point out all the things you've been doing wrong all those years. People say I'm not as much fun as I used to be on the ocean, and they miss the old Jim.

I'll be out there soon though.

cap

[rockdoc]

Well, they'd probably REALLY miss the old Jim if something bad happened out there and you weren't prepared! It amazes me what we've always gotten away with (and without) all these years, and how 95% of the boaters out there manage to stay out of serious trouble most of the time...

I'm trying to get a group together for the captain's license course this winter here on Nantucket, if I get enough people together one of the schools might be able to send an instructor out for a week.

Steve