Bunny Clark Fishing Update
Written & Edited by Tim Tower
Friday, October 30, 2026, 11:00 AM EDT
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Note: Note: The new fishing regulations for cod and haddock in the Western Gulf of Maine for the 2026 appear below. These regulations were approved for the season starting on April 1, 2026 and will extend until May 1, 2027.
Gulf of Maine cod
Gulf of Maine haddock
At 2:45 AM EDT the air temperature was 56°F, the sky was clear with a waning, almost half moon high overhead, there wasn't enough wind to write about and the visibility over the ocean was very good in some haze and partial fog.
When I got up at 1:00 AM this morning, I looked outside to find Boon Island light but found thick fog instead. Ground fog, obviously, as the moon was shinning overhead in a nearly cloudless sky. There was less fog when I got to the dock with Gill in tow. Gill hunkered down at the head of the dock and watched as I got the boat ready to roll. There was no fog left when I lifted Gill back into the truck to go home and wait for Danny to grab the truck to take back down there.
When we poked our nose out between the gate we had haze but no fog. The air temperature had risen to 59°F and the sky was mostly cloudy. In fact, it was cloudy all the way to the fishing grounds. We saw the sun at sunrise as it appeared over the eastern horizon but it was quickly lost in the clouds after a sun's width. There was only a narrow band of clear ahead of us for most of the continuing ride. We carried a water temperature of 57°F all the way to our destination. The wind was light out of the south southwest. This turned into southwest with a third of the ride to go. Seas were about a foot in chops. The visibility for most of the ride was excellent.
On the fishing grounds, we had very light southwest wind. It might have been three knots at most. The ocean was flat with a wind ripple. The southwest wind increased all day, slowly, evenly. We had ten knots or more of southwest wind by the end of the trip. Seas increased to about two feet at most. The air temperature reached a high of 64°F. The visibility ranged to twenty-five miles. The tide (current) was strong all day. The sky cleared and was sunny almost all morning. After noon, the clouds rolled in for a period of overcast skies for the rest of the afternoon. The surface water temperature reached a high of 58°F.
Ashore, these were the air temperatures in selected New England cities: In Portsmouth, New Hampshire, the high air temperature was 77°F. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high air temperature was 79°F (with a low of 59°F). The Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 75°F (with a low of 54°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 72°F (with a low of 54°F).
The fishing was very good. If the tide hadn't been so strong, it would have been excellent. We had more tangles than normal because of it. Pollock also contributed to the tangles. The catching was excellent. Landings were excellent. Most legal fish landed were pollock, by far. Too many pollock, really. Legal landings also included forty-seven haddock, eight cusk, three squid and twelve redfish. Released fish included two blue sharks, five small cod, four sub-legal haddock, three barndoor skates and fifty-eight small pollock. We didn't see a single dogfish. We anchored and drift fished. It didn't matter; the fishing was the same. Most of the haddock were caught on bait. Jigs and flies were best with the pollock.
Captain Jason Kenyon (NY) was probably high hook with the most legal fish (It could also have been Jason Ridolfi (NY). Reason being he (they) only got in one tangle all day. And like the other pros on the boat, he (they) had a fish a cast all day long. He (they) caught very few sub-legal fish. His biggest fish was a 10 pound pollock that he lost right next to the boat. I know it was 10 pounds because I weighed a smaller one a minute later to start the boat pool and that fish weighed 8 pounds.
Jonathan "Griff" Griffin (MA) won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, a 29.5 pound barndoor skate. This is the Bunny Clark's largest barndoor skate of the fishing season so far. It's also the Bunny Clark's sixth largest barndoor skate all time. It wasn't ten minutes later, Griff caught an 20 pound barndoor skate. This was the third largest fish of the trip. Griff has now caught three barndoor skates off the Bunny Clark. He too didn't get tangled which put him in high hook contention. His biggest pollock was 10 pounds. Jason Ridolfi (NY) won the boat pool for the second largest fish with the second largest fish, a 21 pound barndoor skate. This is his second barndoor skate with us on the Bunny Clark. He tied for the largest pollock of the trip with a 12 pounder.
Interestingly enough, Jason hooked his barndoor skate at the same time that Griff hooked the bigger one. However, I was in the bow with Jason when he hooked his, completely oblivious to Griff who was fishing in the cockpit and had the bigger of the two barndoor skates. Griff was actually having a harder time bringing his fish to the surface because he was using a reel with a 5 to 1 retreive ratio. Captain Bryan Lewer had stopped fishing by then and was helping both Danny and I with the crush of pollock we were experiencing. Bryan was watching Griff. And I told Bryan; "If Griff get's tangled with Jason, cut his line." Of course, I thought that Jason had a halibut; both fish fight similarly until the halibut reveals itself by making that initial run to bottom. When I finally figured out what was going on, I could see Jason's fish and could also see that Griff was well clear of Jason and his line. Both anglers were not only fighting their respective "flat" fish, they were also fighting the massive tide we were experiencing. At any rate, I'm glad that I didn't order Griff's line to be cut, damn glad!
We have now caught eighty-four barndoor skates by recreational anglers in the fifty-one years that I have owned boats to take people deep sea fishing. The first one that I ever heard of being caught by rod and reel happened with Captain Ian Keniston on the Bunny Clark, October 4, 2008. The fish was caught by Rick Gelaznik (MA), a very good friend of Griff's. And I believe that Griff was there that day as well. At the time, I was envious of Ian seeing the first one! Griff's last skate gives us nine barndoors caught this season so far. Griff becomes one of three anglers who have caught more than one barndoor skate on the same trip. A few years ago Steve Selmer (NH) caught two, a male and a female. This year, Dave Burton (MA) caught three barndoor skates on one trip.
Other Angler Hightlights: Captain Bryan Lewer (ME) caught the first good sized haddock of the trip at 5.5 pounds. He wanted a couple of haddock for his grandfather. He did that, two, plus a couple of pollock. . Peter Wiese (NJ) caught the first pollock I could weigh for the boat pool at 8 pounds. His biggest haddock weighed 5 pounds. Ray Westermann (MA) caught a haddock double, both fish caught on the same line at the same time. Both haddock weighed 4 pounds. I took a picture of Ray with his fish just as he caught them. This digital image appears on the left. Fred Kunz (NH), also a high hook contender who never had a single tangle, caught a haddock that weighed 5.25 pounds. I took a picture of his fish. This digital image appears on the right. His two biggest pollock weighed 11 pounds and 11.5 pounds. Bruce Andersen (FL) boated a 6 pound haddock, the largest haddock of the trip, and a 5 pound haddock, his two "best" fish. He caught several pollock in the 8 plus pound size range.
Howard Smith (VT) caught a 5 pound haddock and lots of pollock. Nino Pierdipino (NY) caught the first good double of the day. His double included an 8.5 pound pollock and a 9 pound pollock. His biggest haddock weighed 5 pounds. Bill Kelson (MA) caught the biggest double of the day. It included a 7 pound pollock and a 12 pound pollock. Of course, the 12 pound pollock tied for the biggest pollock of the trip. Galen Rhode (VT) caught a 10 pound pollock, his biggest fish. Darlene Chin (FL) also caught a 10 pound pollock. I believe that was her largest fish of the trip as well. Captain Shawn Rosenberger (PA) should have been high hook today but for his many tangles. Oh, for want of a hard luck of the day award t-shirt! His largest fish was also a 10 pound pollock.
I received four donations today from anglers aboard, sponsoring me in this year's Pan-Mass Challenge. Those anglers and their contributions to the cause included Galen Rhode for $50.00, Jason Ridolfi for $50.00, Bruce Andersen for $50.00 and Bill Kelson for $50.00. Thank you all so very much for your help and support. Very thoughful of you and very much appreciated by me, those who do all the research work and those patients who may never know those who were so generous and kind.
The air temperature was 76°F at 10:00 AM when I stepped outside to go for a five mile run. It was also humid. I was not accustomed to running with it so warm. After every mile I considered walking but kept deciding against it. But it took me a while to recover. Even after a shower, my face was still red. It was a summer day in the fall today.
The wind blew out of the south all morning and most of the afternoon. Before sunset, the wind had backed out of the north. It blew out of the north at five or six knots at first but, then, petered out to nothing. The ocean along the shore was flat calm when there was still light enough to notice. The sky was clear for most of the morning with clouds moving in around noon. For most of the afternoon, it looked like it was going to rain. It actually did rain around 4:00 PM. But it was so light as to only be noticed partially on the roads. There was no wind with the rain clouds. The sky became mostly clear going into the night. The visibility was excellent but went to very good in some haze later in the day. The air temperature got as high as 83°F in Ogunquit, tempered by the southerly wind after noon. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high air temperature was 87°F (with a low of 66°F). Incidentally, the record high for this date in Boston occurred in 1954. That high temperature was 88°F, a degree off from today. The Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 84°F (with a low of 60°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 83°F (with a low of 59°F).
I spent a lot of time on the website this morning. So much time that I could only do a run for exercise before going in to work. I would have walked with running intervals had I had more time. Running the whole route takes less time, more bang for the buck, so to say. Probably not as good for me and I could get injured. But it turned out okay. Of course, it's also the day, Friday, when I open up the restaurants. I was down in the Cove at 4:30 AM opening restaurants and doing my chores around there before walking Gill back home with me, after leaving the Bunny Clark truck in it's parking place. I worked on the website before I went to the Cove, for half hour while there and after getting back home. I almost thought I would have to finish it up tomorrow. But I managed to get it all day. It takes up more time when I have to do research on the fish we catch on a given trip.
The rest of the day was spent in the restaurants. I had lunch with Bob Cary and his wife, Janet, while there. Bob's father was my father's first accountant when he started Barnacle Billy's in 1961. Bob took over from his father and was also my accountant. He gave me advice on buying my first fishing boat, starting a fishing business and throughout my life until he retired a few years ago. A good personal friend of the family, it was wonderful to talk to him and Janet.
I worked through the day until I left to go home at 6:30 PM.
It was a beautiful fall day today, all day. The sky was clear with a bright sun, the visibility remained excellent all day and the air temperature, although cooler than most days, was just warm enough in the sun to be very pleasant in the garden patio at Barnacle Billy's, Etc. and warm on the deck at Billy's. The highest air temperature that I saw was 66°F. The wind started out from the north until later morning, when it hauled easterly. We had an east wind for most of the afternoon that hauled southeast at the end. A southerly wind rounded off the day after sunset. Most of the wind today was less than ten knots. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high air temperature was 67°F (with a low of 54°F). The Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 69°F (with a low of 42°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 68°F (with a low of 47°F).
I didn't go near the Bunny Clark today. It was all restaurants for me today. I did have some desk work at home to clean up, in the morning. I ended up leaving the restaurants at 7:45 PM. Nothing extra special went on today in my world, except the weather. It was a typical warm October fall day. The garden patio at Etc. stayed active, even after sunset. But the cooler air temperature at night kept the business light after 7:00 PM. My brother, Court, used to call it the "insect theory".
This was the first day that our border collie, Gill, didn't show any interest in going to the Cove in the truck. After I came back from the Cove, he seemed disappointed that he didn't go. But I tried everything to get him to come with me. I even tried to lift his backside up off the floor. He is a very stubborn dog, though. I think he had regrets.
We had a light easterly or northeast wind in the morning that blew up to ten knots or so closer to noon. This wind didn't really back off in the afternoon as expected but kept blowing about eight knots, more or less, through into the night. You could still hear the bell buoy ringing as I went to bed. The visibility was excellent all day. The sky was mostly clear with a few clouds here and there. It was cooler today. The highest air temperature that I witnessed was 63°F. That was sometime around noon. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high air temperature was 63°F (with a low of 50°F). The Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 65°F (with a low of 36°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 61°F (with a low of 42°F).
I spent about two hours on the Bunny Clark today, changing filters and getting her ready for the Tuesday trip. It looks like there will be a bit of wind on Tuesday but not horrible and, definitely doable.
I had planned to attend a meeting about taking on a new manager at Barnacle Billy's, Etc. That fell through as she was needed to take someone's place where she is working now. This gave me the extra time needed to complete the Bunny Clark stuff. I went right from there to working in the restaurants. It was a very nice day. In the lee of the Barnacle Billy's, on the deck, it was warm, again. The wind was out of the east. So, with the sun out, it was beautiful and calm.
I keep getting drawn back to when my father was running the restaurants. There were some people from Michigan and California who were eating lobsters for the first time. The had ordered 2 pounders. Showing one of the women at the table, I went through the whole process of how to take one apart and eat it from each individual leg, through the tamale and into the body. It reminded me so much of what my father used to do. I even hear the sound of his laugh when I laugh. Although, my brother looks more like my father than I do.
The wind started out light out of the northwest or west, then west. Wind speeds were about ten knots at noon. Offshore a bit, it was southerly at ten knots while it was light northwest in Perkins Cove. Right around 2:00 PM, the wind started to howl from the west northwest. Wind speeds reached twenty-five knots or more. There were gusts to thirty knots at times. The wind started to drop at 4:00 PM. It was westerly then with speeds of twenty knots, more or less. The sky was almost overcast for most of the early part of the morning. We had clearing after noon. For most of the afternoon, the sky was clear with scattered cumulus clouds. the visibility was excellent all day. The air temperature reached a high of 70°F. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high air temperature was 71°F (with a low of 53°F). The Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 70°F (with a low of 44°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 68°F (with a low of 45°F).
I spent the day at the restaurants and, between times, working on getting the Bunny Clark ready to sail. Nothing very exciting happened today.
I had this guy, Nick Johnson interview me the other day. He's a YouTube influencer. YouTube.com@InterviewsAcrossAmerica (YouTube.com@Nick.Johnson). I don't watch myself in these things but people have told me about it. Check it out if you are interested.
At 3:30 AM EDT the air temperature was 46°F, the sky was crystal clear with the planet, Jupiter (our largest planet in our solar system), right next to a crescent moon just above the horizon in the east, the flags were, again, limp in Perkins Cove (the closest weather buoy report was giving twenty to twenty-five knots) and the visibility over the ocean was excellent.
We left the gate with a noticeable wind from behind. The air temperature at that time was 45°F with a surface water temperature of 56°F. The water temperature would drop two degrees before we reached the fishing grounds. But the air temperature would rise a couple of degrees. The wind was out of the west at speeds over twenty knots, more as we got further off. Near the grounds, we were surfing down the chops but feeling okay because it was behind us. But, also, anticipating the first stop and our nose right into it. The sky was clear, the visibility was excellent and the seas were four to five feet when we got close to our first stop.
On the fishing grounds, the wind and seas were all that I expected them to be. Seas were four to five feet with the occasional queer one and the wind was, pretty much, a sustained twenty-five knots with higher gusts. This would come and go, as westerly through northwest winds do. Pumping winds are what we expect in weather like this. There was a time during the day when the seas were about three feet, more or less. The tide and the wind were heading in the same direction at that time. This didn't last. The wind started out of the west, was west northwest for a while and northwest at the end. The wind stayed at twenty-five knots, more or less, the whole day. Seas were also, pretty much, the same throughout the day. It was choppy; there was no doubt. The air temperature reached a high of 53°F. The visibility ranged to over thirty-five miles. The sky was clear with few clouds; the westerly component of the wind being responsible for that. The tide (current) was moderate to fairly strong. The surface water temperature reached a high of 55°F.
Ashore, these were the air temperatures in selected New England cities: In Portsmouth, New Hampshire, the high air temperature was 62°F. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high air temperature was 63°F (with a low of 47°F). The Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 62°F (with a low of 33°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 60°F (with a low of 40°F).
The fishing was tainted by my lack of mobility, the ability to move quickly from spot to spot, regardless of direction. I was hampered by the seas and wind. So I planned for that. However, all the planning in the world doesn't put you in the minds and movements of the fish. The fishing itself was just about excellent. There wasn't enough tide to bother us on anchor and the drifting was about as good as it gets if you know how to cast. I wouldn't say that the bite was great. The fish seemed to shy away from us either anchoring or drifting. But it was certainly better on anchor. The catching was good on the desired species, very good on the dogfish. Landings were good overall. Very good for size. Most legal fish landed were pollock, by far. Legal landings also included two cod, five cusk, five haddock, a whiting, two mud hake, a couple squid and fifty-five or more mackerel. Released fish included fourteen sub-legal cod, two sub-legal haddock, four sub-legal pollock, one sub-legal redfish, over seventy-eight dogfish and a couple mackerel. We did see a blue shark that didn't seem interested enough in us. As you can see, we saw very few small fish of any species. Jigs and cod flies worked the best. Bait caught mostly dogfish.
I believe that Fred Kunz was high hook with the most legal fish. Mark Girard (NH) was close as was Bryan Lewer (ME). Rory MacEachern (ME) won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, a 19.5 pound pollock. This is the Bunny Clark's third largest pollock of the fishing season to date, by a half pound. I took a picture of Rory holding his prize fish. This digital image appears on the left. Some of his other fish included a 12.5 pound pollock, an 11.5 pound pollock and an 11 pound pollock. His best double included a 9.5 pound pollock and a 10.5 pound pollock, both fish caught on the same line at the same time. Mark Girard won the boat pool for the second largest fish with the second largest fish, a 17 pound pollock. This fish ties for the eighth largest pollock caught on the Bunny Clark this season so far. He also lost a massive pollock, probably a big double on the first drop, as the first angler to get to bottom with his line. He broke off. He thought it was a shark, it happened so fast. My first thought was a tuna - which it also could have been. We will never know for sure. Some of Mark's other fish included an 11 pound pollock, a 13.5 pound pollock, a 12.5 pound pollock, a 10.5 pound pollock and 12 pound pollock. His best double included a 9.5 pound pollock and a 13 pound pollock. Fred Kunz caught the third largest fish, a 16 pound pollock. Some of his other notable fish included two pollock of 12.5 pounds each, a 12 pound pollock and a 15.5 pound pollock, the fourth largest fish of the trip. He also caught three of the five legal haddock boated today. His best double included a 7 pound pollock and another 12 pound pollock.
Other Angler Highlights: Bryan Lewer caught a 13 pound pollock, his biggest fish. Dave Burton (MA) caught a 14 pound pollock, a 12 pound pollock and a 10.5 pound pollock. Shawn Rosenberger (PA) caught an 11 pound pollock and a 13 pound pollock, his two biggest fish. He also lost three good fish on the surface, one was a nice sized haddock. Darlene Chin (FL) had a touch of the mal de mer. She hid it well. When I asked her how she was doing near the end of the day she replied; "I've been sea sick all day." I never would have known. She never stopped fishing until the very end when the spot had slowed and it was almost time to quit. Very few anglers would bend to the rail like Darlene when sea sick. Most would not fish at all! Her best fish included a 14.5 pound pollock, two pollock of 11 pounds each and a 15 pound pollock. She caught the only two sub-legal haddock. I was able to fish for a while. I caught a pollock that wasn't 10 pounds. Maybe 7 pounds? But I lost a huge pollock that I never really got off the bottom for, what seemed like, forever. I finally managed to get it, maybe, twenty or more feet off the bottom and lost it. I probably foul hooked the fish.
I received three donations sponsoring me in my cancer research project with the Pan-Mass Challenge, the Jimmy Fund and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, Massachusetts. This from anglers who have been very generous over the twenty years that I have been involved. Those anglers included Dave Burton for $60.00, Mark Girard for $70.00 and Fred Kunz for $10.00. Thank you all so very much for your thoughtfulness and continued support of cancer research. One hundred percent of you donation goes to the researchers who I support, no percentage of it goes to administrative costs. I really appreciate the support and your generosity, of course!
The sky was cloudless all morning and, nearly so, the rest of the day. The visibility was excellent. There was no wind during the early part of the morning. When the wind did come up, it was about 11:00 AM, out of the south. It blew out of the south at ten to fifteen knots by noon, but fifteen to twenty knots by 2:00 PM. White caps could be seen from shore. The southerly wind was starting to die a bit when I went to bed. The air temperature reached a high of 63°F, that I saw. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high air temperature was 66°F (with a low of 43°F). The Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 67°F (with a low of 29°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 59°F (with a low of 33°F).
I spent most of the morning getting ready for the trip tomorrow. By noon, I was back in the restaurants. I had an hour meeting during the mid-afternoon. Afterward, I warmed the engine of the Bunny Clark up and moved the boat to southern end of the float, so I head straight to the bridge once the lines were untied. I left for home at 5:30 PM.
I can tell you that I am some sick of the political ads on TV. I don't watch TV. I love movies. And I am very fond of the streaming services. Deb has the TV on in the background when she is in the kitchen. It seems like every time I walk through, there is some negative ad about a politician running for office. November can't come soon enough.
At 3:30 AM EDT the air temperature was 52°F(50°F in the Cove), the sky was clear with limited stars (a tad hazy), the wind was blowing eight knots out of the west in Perkins Cove and the visibility over the ocean seemed very good to excellent.
It started to rain just as we were leaving the dock to head down the channel to the open sea. Just a light rain. But I didn't expect it. I didn't even see the cloud it came from. Once we got to the gate, you could see the lower rib of the moon just making it's way above the horizon. It was so close to the horizon the lighted edge of the moon looked orange. The air temperature was 54°F a half mile outside the gate. At the same time, the surface water temperature was 55°F. We carried the same surface water temperature all the way to the fishing grounds. The sky was clear. The further we went out, the less stars we could see towards the western horizon. The visibility was very good. The wind was blowing a solid twenty knots for the first half of the ride out. Less for the second half. Seas were four to five feet in chops for the first half of the trip out, four feet or less until we arrived at our destination.
On the fishing grounds, the wind was out of the southwest at fifteen to twenty knots. Seas were about four feet or less with the occasional queer one. rain clouds approached from the west. Before they arrived we had lightning and a clap of thunder. It poured for the better part of an hour. It must have been between 8 and 9:00 AM in the morning. We had no rain for the rest of the day. The wind and seas diminished all day. By 10:00 AM, the wind had dropped to fifteen knots with a three foot chop, mostly left over from the earlier wind. The sky had cleared. By noon, the wind was out of the west at ten knots or more. We had a two foot roll over a half foot chop driven by a light westerly wind, when it was time to leave to head back. The air temperature reached a high of 60°F. The visibility ranged to thirty miles. The tide (current) was light to moderate. The surface water stayed at 55°F all day.
Two thirds of the way back to Perkins Cove, we had a fifteen to twenty knot west northwest wind come up including a two foot chop. We carried this all the way to the gate.
Ashore, these were the air temperatures in selected New England cities: In Portsmouth, New Hampshire, the high air temperature was 73°F. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high air temperature was 73°F (with a low of 56°F). The Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 75°F (with a low of 43°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 71°F (with a low of 49°F).
The fishing was very good, bordering on excellent. We could drift or anchor, depending on how I thought that we should attack the fish. The drift was perfect all day. Maybe if you include the dogfish, it was very good. But they really weren't much of a distraction. The catching was very good most of the day. Landings were good. Most legal fish landed were pollock, by far. Almost everywhere we went we found pollock. On one spot the pollock were of very good size. Legal landings also included seven squid, five cod, three cusk, eleven haddock, eight redfish and two whiting. Released fish included one smallish bluefin tuna, nineteen sub-legal cod, two sub-legal haddock, one pee-wee monkfish, twenty-seven sub-legal pollock and a sculpin. Jigs and cod flies caught the most fish.
Mark Girard (NH) was high hook with the most legal fish. The largest fish of his that I weighed was a 10.5 pound pollock. Shawn Rosenberger (PA) won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, a 17 pound cod. This is the fourth largest cod that has been caught on the Bunny Clark this season so far. I took a picture of Shawn holding this cod. This digital image appears on the left. Shawn also caught our second largest monkfish of the season, a 2 pound peewee. I also took a picture of Shawn holding the monkfish. This digital image appears on the right. His two biggest pollock weighed 13 pounds and 13.5 pounds. Nolan Signor (NY) won the boat pool for the second largest fish with the second largest fish, a 15.25 pound pollock. Nolan also caught a pollock that weighed 11.5 pounds. The third largest fish was a 14 pound pollock caught by Pat Sweenor.(NY).
Other Angler Hightlights: Dallas Jackson (NY) caught one of the first fish that I could weigh for the boat pool, an 11 pound pollock. Rodney Sharp (NY) caught two pollock of 10 pounds each. His biggest fish would have been a small bluefin tuna that he hooked near the end of the trip. The fish changed directions so quickly and was so fast that it got everyone tangled and broke off. It happened so fast that there was nothing Rodney could do. After last year, Bill DiBello (NY) has turned into such a good fisherman, I expect him to catch something wonderful. This year he held his own. His largest fish was an 11.5 pound pollock. Alan Thomas (NY), new to the Bunny Clark and deep sea fishing, caught a 10.25 pound pollock as his biggest fish. But he caught plenty of fish today. The pollock is the biggest fish he has ever caught. It was the first pollock that he has ever seen.
I received two donations sponsoring me in this year's Pan-Mass Challenge today. The event is a cycling event to raise money for a very specific group of researchers at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, Massachusetts. One hundred percent of the donation goes to these researchers. No percentage goes to administrative costs as the event is underwritten by businesses in the Boston area. Today's donors included Mark Girard for $100.00. Mark has been supporting me in the endeavor since I got involved twenty years ago. He has been very thoughtful and, certainly, generous. He never forgets me and this project. Stuffy House (NY), one of the most underrated anglers on the boat today, donated $20.00. Thank you both so very much for your kindness and help. So many people appreciate this so much!
The visibility stayed excellent all day. The sky remained clear with many cumulus clouds over the Cove after noon. The wind blew out of the west for almost all morning and afternoon. After noon, the westerly wind went from ten knots to fifteen and over twenty knots at times. In the Cove, it was more west northwest or northwest after noon. Offshore, the wind was out of the west. Not the best wind for groundfishing but not the worst. The air temperature reached a high of 68°F, mostly because of the westerly component of the wind. It would have been cooler if it were directly out of the northwest. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high air temperature was 69°F (with a low of 55°F). The Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 67°F (with a low of 38°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 65°F (with a low of 43°F).
As I say every Friday, this is my morning to open the restaurants. I was down in the Cove with Gill at 4:45 AM, getting everything open and getting prepared for the employees. I had a few other items to prepare for. I had a meeting after noon. And I had the added desk work that I never did get done today. Since this is the first day before the big Columbus Day Weekend, it was like old home week with so many regular patrons I enjoyed seeing and talking to. I was actually going to stay later than normal today but, instead, I decided to stay with the plan and leave at 6:00 PM. Most of our regulars show up before 6:00 PM.
The sky was cloudless all morning and most of the day today. The visibility remained excellent throughout the day. The wind blew out of the west northwest or west at fifteen to twenty knots in the morning, tapering off during the mid morning and dropping off a bit more in the afternoon. We had about eight knots of westerly wind by 5:00 PM. The air temperature got as high as it was going to get a bit after noon. I saw 60°F. It could have been a bit higher. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high air temperature was 63°F (with a low of 49°F). The Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 60°F (with a low of 33°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 60°F (with a low of 36°F).
It's amazing what a good weather prediction can do well before a holiday weekend, particularly when the weather prediction proves to be right. Take into account that it's "leaf peeper season" and it's the last big weekend until the winter and you have what Ogunquit saw today; a lot of people. Every establishment in town was busy today. And people were very happy, it seemed everywhere I went. It's also a weekend where I seem to know everyone who comes to dine at our restaurants. So I was busy talking to patrons from the moment we opened until we closed. The day moved like it was on jet engines. The day goes by like a shot for me, these days, anyway. It seemed faster today.
I have to say that Gill, our border collie, is not doing as well. He won't eat. We have changed his food to see if that would make a difference. It doesn't. We both have spoon fed the dog. That worked for a while. Then it would work for half his food. Now he just doesn't seem interested. He is still interested in going to the Cove in the truck with me. At least, he was today. It's harder every time. We will have to see what tomorrow morning brings. It's hard because he was always such an active dog. And he still wants to be. But he can't walk very well. So we can't take him anywhere as it hurts his legs. Walking him up from the Cove has worked. But walking him down to the Cove to get the truck in the same day makes him lame and, the last time, I thought I would have to carry him the rest of the way. He weighs 65 pounds. So we wait and see for the final time to come. It's truly sad.
By 8:00 AM, clouds were starting to fill the sky from the west. By 10:00 AM, it was fully overcast. We had a sprinkle of rain around 2:00 PM. Other than that, we saw no rain until 6:30 PM. The rain continued at a steady rate on into the night and all night. The visbility remained excellent until after sunset when it dropped down a couple notches. At about the time it became fully overcast, the wind was freshening out of the south southwest. By noon, we had twelve knots of it. It continued out of the southwest for the rest of the day with wind speeds less than ten knots. So, not really much wind. The air temperature reached a high of just under 60°F. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high air temperature was 60°F (with a low of 48°F). The Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 56°F (with a low of 34°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 56°F (with a low of 35°F).
Business was off because of the weather report. But it was better than it was on this date last year. We had the beginnings of a minor nor'easter last year on this date with thirty knots of northeast wind blowing across the parking lot. They do call for northeast wind on Tuesday, which isn't great for us taking a fishing trip. This is unfortunate. I'll call the trip, one way or the other around noon.
I stayed later at the restaurant than I normally would with this being a holiday weekend. I left to go home at 7:30 PM.
The morning showed us almost no wind until late morning. And, even then, the wind speeds were five or six knots at most. After noon we had an established wind out of the south southwest at ten knots. This wind direction and, maybe, a slightly stronger wind speed remained the same throughout the afternoon. In the Cove, we hardly felt any wind at all because of the wind direction. By sunset, there was no wind at all with a calm ocean surface in front of the Cove. The sky was clear with few clouds all day. The visibility was excellent. The high air temperature, which I saw at 71°F, was probably higher than what I saw. On the deck at Barnacle Billy's, it was more like a mild summer day devoid of wind and air temperatures in the sun in the mid to upper 70s. My father would have certainly called this a "111". In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high air temperature was 71°F (with a low of 50°F). The Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 71°F (with a low of 48°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 71°F (with a low of 49°F). This is the first day in 2026 where every high air temperature is the same.
At 11:30 PM, last night, I got up with Gill and stayed up with him until my wife, Deb, got up. Then I went back to bed. He's wasn't doing very well and it's the very first time that he really looked unhappy. It's been a struggle for the last week. But he seemed to enjoy life, albeit, a bit harder to walk for him. I took him with me to the Cove with the Bunny Clark truck because he showed a strong desire to go this morning. But it was tough walking home. And, despite the mobility issues, he sniffed around on a lower scale but seemed happy enough doing so. This was the last time we would make the walk from the Cove to the house. It's hard not to be selfish with an animal that you have grown to love. It can't help but be a subjective decision as to when to end it in a situation such as this. A sad day indeed.
I don't think we waited too long. I think we waited just the right amount of time. By 10:00 AM, he laid down and just didn't want to get up. Before then, we made a call to a service we use that sends out a tech to euthanize animals. The time we were able to get her here was just before 2:00 PM. Of the three shots that were given to the dog, the first to anesthetize Gill, he didn't even flinch, which is unlike him. The whole process was fairly quick by ultimately sad. But I believe he had a great life with us. And I certainly enjoyed having the dog; one of the best dogs we have ever had, our fifth. This put a damper on the day. And, as I write this now, at 7:30 AM, October 13th, I'm still melancholy and finding it hard to adapt to the day.
I canceled tomorrow's fishing trip today with the weather report. Any other wind direction I wouldn't have called it. But northeast is so hard to leave the Cove with a lee shore and seas right on the nose all the way to the fishing grounds. Although I hesitated to make the call, initially, when I made the call, I felt justified in so doing.
I spend the day at the restaurants. It was such a beautiful day, unlike many Columbus Day's. At this time of year you don't know what kind of weather to expect. So, to get a nice day like today is such a bonus. With good weather predictions and good weather following a good prediction, we get good business. Such was the result of the good weather today.
Having such a nice day on a day that seemed so sad also seemed so appropriate and almost like a stamp on the day that we did the right thing. You never know. And even time can't tell you that.
The wind continued to blow out of the northeast with a wind of about twenty knots, more or less, until mid morning. It would not have been a fun ride to the fishing grounds as, at most weather buoys, seas were approximately running at seven feet. That's a very slow go to the fishing grounds for the old Bunny Clark. Seas dropped to about five feet every seven seconds by noon. But that's still a good chop and uncomfortable. The wind was out of the northeast at fifteen knots, more or less, by then. By mid afternoon, the wind direction had hauled out of the east southeast and was blowing twenty to twenty-five knots. Seas were still in the five foot category but five feet every five seconds. So a steeper chop. It rained all day. And it was cold. I saw a high of 56°F in Perkins Cove with the wind blowing across the parking lot. This was later in the afternoon before the wind shift. It was a great day to stay home and watch Champions League football! In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high air temperature was 62°F (with a low of 53°F). The Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 58°F - at 1:25 AM - (with a low of 46°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 59°F - at 3:46 AM - (with a low of 43°F - at 2:24 PM).
After a 4 mile wet run in the morning, the rest of the day was spent at the restaurant. Business was slow. Nothing makes for a poor business day at Barnacle Billy's like a poor weather report followed by, actual, poor weather. As most know, the National Weather Service has a poor record of predictability for getting it right. Usually they side on a bad weather prediction first and tell about how good the weather was after.
One thing about seasonal weather and bad conditions; we have the fire places going and it's a great time to have a clam chowder followed by hot steamers and lobster in front of them.
I received a generous $100.00 donation sponsoring me in my cancer research project with the Pan-Mass Challenge from Jean-Denis Jacob (QC) today. This donation was sent as an "eGift" through the PMC site with the message; "After a loss, a small investment to continue what is meaningful in life.". Such a nice gift with such a nice message. Thank you so very much, Jean-Denis. This is very kind and thoughtful of you. And it's very much appreciated!
It took a couple of hours or more for the fog to clear out. The sky started losing clouds from 7:00 AM onwards. By mid morning the sun was out fully in a clear sky and the air temperature had risen to 57°F. Around noon, the clouds started rolling in again. By 2:00 PM, the sky was overcast again. Around 3:00 PM, it started to rain. It was so light that the roads only became spotted with water. By 4:00 PM, the sky was clearing from the west. By 5:00 PM, we had clear skies again. The visibility became excellent. The air temperature reached a high of 68°F. It was very pleasant. There was no wind today. I guess there was wind. But it was so light and variable in direction that we didn't see it in Perkins Cove. Indeed, the ocean along the shore was flat calm all day. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high air temperature was 77°F (with a low of 59°F). The Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 73°F (with a low of 47°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 65°F (with a low of 46°F).
I spent some time on the Bunny Clark icing up the coolers, working on the bait situation, checking on the engine vitals, starting her up, provisioning her and getting all my things ready.
After I got back home, I caught up on other things. By noon, I was back at Barnacle Billy's doing my thing. There were a lot of people in the Cove today. Many were walking on the Marginal Way.
My sister, Meg, came to visit customers in the restaurant. This is where I saw her. It is always nice to have her in the building. I think retirement suits her.
At 3:15 AM EDT the air temperature was 51°F, the sky was crystal clear, the wind was blowing out of the northwest at fifteen knots and the visibility over the ocean was excellent.
When we came out of the gate headed to the fishing grounds, the sky was so clear is looked like the stars we going to fall in the water ahead of us. The visibility was excellent. The air temperature was 52°F. The wind was blowing out of the northwest at fifteen knots. The surface water was 54°F. Half way to the fishing grounds, the wind hauled out of the north. Wind speeds increased to about twenty knots or a bit less. Seas went from two feet to three and four feet. The air temperature got slightly warmer but the water temperature stayed about the same.
On the fishing grounds, the wind blew out of the north at twenty knots upon arrival. It increased to a sustained twenty-five knots and stayed that way for a couple hours at least with some higher gusts. Seas were four to five feet with many queer ones in between. We did see the occasional six to seven footer. But those were rare. The northerly wind died out very slowly during the day. Winds at noon were northerly still but only about fifteen knots, more or less, with a two to three foot chop. There was no swell today. When I finally called the day, the wind was very light from the north northwest. Seas were about a foot. The air temperature reached a high of 60°F with the wind drop. The visibility ranged to over thirty miles. The tide (current) was strong all day. The sky was clear and sunny with few clouds. The surface water temperature reached a high of 54°F.
Ashore, these were the air temperatures in selected New England cities: In Portsmouth, New Hampshire, the high air temperature was 64°F. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high air temperature was 62°F (with a low of 51°F). The Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 62°F (with a low of 38°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 60°F (with a low of 39°F).
The fishing was very good. But this was probably because all my current angling heroes were aboard today. What would phase many anglers, like the tide, seas, wind and dogfish, did not bother these guys. The catching was very good to excellent. Landings were very good. Most legal fish caught and landed were pollock, by far. There were only eight anglers aboard today. So it wasn't long before they had enough pollock. When they started releasing everything they caught I decided to leave the pollock and do some exploring. Right behind the pollock were haddock, the second most prevalent legal fish landed. We had no sub-legal haddock today. Legal landings also included two cod, three cusk, twenty-four white hake, sixteen redfish, nine squid, three red hake and a whiting. Released fish included sixteen dogfish, forty or so pollock to 8 pounds, four sub-legal pollock, ten sub-legal cod, two mackerel and a couple squid. We tried drifting once. It was doable. But we weren't in the right area to drift. We anchored on every spot but that one. All terminal gear worked well. The haddock would only take bait and the occasional fly today.
I'm not sure who was high hook. I believe it was between Fred Kunz and Bryan Lewer (ME), with Bryan Lewer coming out on top. Bryan caught one more legal fish than Fred did. But looking at high hook today was moot, meaning that there wasn't an angler aboard who didn't catch at least twenty legal fish. And if you looked at everyone aboard from a drone all day, I don't believe you could have known who was high hook or not. Both Fred and Bryan have sharp mathematical minds and memories, like no one angler I have ever met before. Both can look at my data sheet and tell me the fish totals at a glance. No other angler aboard counts their fish. We don't count fillets. So, again, who really knows. Fred won the boat pool for the second largest fish with the second largest fish, a 30 pound Maine state trophy white hake. I took a picture of Fred holding this beautiful fish. This digital image appears on the left. This is Fred's biggest hake of the last two fishing seasons. Some of Fred's other good fish of note included a 22 pound white hake and a 24.5 pound white hake. He caught pollock to 8 pounds and landed a total of five haddock. Some of the fish I weighed for Bryan included an 8.5 pound pollock, an 8 pound pollock, an 11 pound pollock and a 10.5 pound pollock. He also caught a hake that weighed 20 pounds.
Shawn Rosenberger (PA) won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, a 34.5 pound Maine state trophy white hake. It was the last fish of the trip. I took a picture of Shawn holding his big hake. This digital image appears on the right. This is the largest hake that he has caught in the last two seasons. It's also tied for our seventh largest white hake of the season so far. Before Fred's hake, Shawn had been leading the boat pool with an 11.5 pound cod. Some of Shawn's other good fish included a 27 pound Maine state trophy white hake, the third largest fish of the trip, an 8 pound pollock, a 16 pound white hake and a 16.5 pound white hake.
Other Angler Hightlights: Dave Burton (MA) caught the most haddock with a count over ten. He caught a lot of haddock, enough so that I wished I had counted his fillets. His largest fish was a 14 pound white hake. I also weighed two pollock for him. One was 8.5 pounds. The other weighed 9.5 pounds. Steve LaPlante (CT) caught a 21 pound white hake as his biggest fish. Other fish of his that I weighed included a 7.5 pound pollock, an 8.25 pound pollock, an 8 pound pollock, a 13.5 pound white hake and a 16 pound white hake. Jonathan "Griff" Griffin (MA) boated an 18 pound white hake as his biggest fish. He was the second person to catch a white hake today. Fred caught one on open bottom earlier in the trip, the first white hake in shallow water that we have seen this season. The biggest pollock that I weighed for Griff was 8 pounds. Augie Nigro (MA) caught a lot of haddock as well. We had a lot of good sized ones in the 4 pound range. But Augie caught the largest at 5 pounds. His biggest fish was a 9.75 pound pollock. But there was a hake that was probably bigger.
I received two donations toward my cancer research project with the Pan-Mass Challenge today. One was a $60.00 gift from Dave Burton. The other was a $20.00 gift from Fred Kunz. Both anglers help me continuously in the cancer fight throughout each year. They are both appreciated in so many other ways as well. Thank you so very much!
It did start to rain a bit before 7:00 AM. It was very light at first. It became steadier as the morning progressed. But it was never a downpour. After 1:00 PM, I noticed that it had stopped raining. It never rained again after 2:00 PM, maybe before that. The sky remained overcast until after sunset when I saw a break in the clouds. To my knowledge, it never rained before midnight. The visibility ranged from good to very good most of the day. It was very good at 8:00 PM. The wind started out of the south blowing fifteen to twenty knots. It became twenty knots sustained by mid morning. It backed off around noon and, slowly, decreased. By 2:30 PM, the wind was out of the south at ten knots, more or less. Surprisingly, there was zero wind at sunset. At 8:00 PM, I saw that the wind had come up out of the west (maybe even southwest) at ten knots. The air temperature reached a high of 67°F in the afternoon. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high air temperature was 69°F (with a low of 51°F). The Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 65°F (with a low of 40°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 61°F (with a low of 38°F).
As is normal on Friday, I was at the Cove before 5:00 AM opening the restaurants and parking the Bunny Clark truck. Alas, without my buddy, Gill. That is going to get some getting used to. I worked until 9:00 AM, when I left to bring David & Jeri Pease (ME) some haddock that Dave Burton (MA) had gifted me on yesterday's fishing trip. Dave caught the most haddock of the trip and was going to give them away anyway. I, in turn, took the fillets home, skinned them and packed them up to bring to Dave & Jeri. Dave finished off the Bunny Clark after I brought the hull to his barn from Young Brothers yard in November of 1982. The wheel house was Dave's unique design which I have loved all these years. And, of course, the Bunny Clark itself, made my life very special. Captain Ian Keniston used to bring haddock to Dave & Jeri when he was alive, on his way back home from a day on the Bunny Clark. I felt obligated to do the same and carry on the tradition. It's always a joy to visit at Dave's Boat Shop. Of course, you can't get haddock any fresher than when you catch the fish yourself, bleed the fish, fillet it after it has all bled out and put it directly on ice after quick brine bath. I talked with them for over an hour. This have me no time to work on the previous day's fish report, which I caught up with later the next day, this day.
We were surprisingly busy at the restaurants today. It certainly wasn't a busy day, just busier.
The wind certainly didn't howl today as was expected. It blew out of the northwest at fifteen to twenty knots with the occasional higher gust. But it certainly didn't over-blow. It was more westerly after sunset but I never saw a gust of twenty knots during the short part of my night. The sky was overcast all morning, giving way to sunshine around noon. The sky was clear for most of the rest of the day. It didn't help much with the air temperature, though, as I didn't see a value above 50°F at any time. The visibility was excellent. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high air temperature was 62°F - at 12:04 AM - (with a low of 38°F). The Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 51°F - at 12:27 AM - (with a low of 26°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 52°F - at 12:09 AM - (with a low of 30°F).
I spent the morning making up for the time I lost yesterday, working on the fishing update and posting pictures. This got me to the restaurants around noon, as is normal most days. I worked straight through until 7:45 PM. At that time the air temperature had dropped to 44°F. It was a good day of business overall but not a great day. These days I am seeing patrons for the last time this season. There were quite a few goodbyes today. This is the part of the season I do not like. The season is almost over. I really hate to see it go.
The morning was surprisingly fast to warm up. By 9:00 AM, it was already 48°F. By 10:00 AM, the air temperature was 52°F. But it didn't get much higher. I saw 55°F as a high air temperature today. The sky was cloudless for most of the day. With the bright sun, it was very warm out of the wind. We didn't have much wind anyway. We had light northwest wind to start, no wind and then a light wind from the south. Ashore, the southerly wind was no more than ten knots. Offshore a bit, gusts were reported to thirteen knots. Regardless, it would have been a great day on the ocean. The visibility today was excellent. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high air temperature was 53°F (with a low of 37°F). The Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 58°F (with a low of 25°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 52°F (with a low of 27°F).
I spent some time getting ready for the trip on Tuesday, if we end up going out that day. The weather is suspect for Tuesday. The wind is supposed to be out of the northeast. If it's ten to fifteen, that won't be bad. If it's more than that, it will be a tough call. We will see.
While I was in the Cove working on the Bunny Clark, I also did some work in the restaurant. Some of it was sorting lobsters. Some of it was planning for another cold night.
I said goodbye to many patrons today. For some, this would be the last time I see them for the year. I will see others again next weekend, our last weekend at Billy's. Etc. will be open for another week after that. It was a good business day today. Not really busy; just good. It was a wonderful weather day.
The most wind that I saw today was before sunrise. After sunrise, we had, just about, no wind at all. The ocean along the shore was calm. It stayed calm for most of the day. There was wind after noon, enough to show wind ripples on the water. That wind was from the south our southeast. By sunset, that wind was gone. There was no wind through the night or, I should say, through my night. The sky was cloudless. or nearly so, all day. The visibility was excellent. The highest air temperature that I saw today was 58°F at noon and for a couple hours after noon. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high air temperature was 56°F (with a low of 40°F). The Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 63°F (with a low of 28°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 56°F (with a low of 31°F).
I spent part of the morning getting the Bunny Clark ready to sail, not having made a decision whether the trip was going to go or not. The weather report didn't sound encouraging but it didn't sound too bad to go.
After coming back to the restaurants at noon, I worked on a list of items that I had to get done. Then I worked out whether we were going to sail or not. Most of the anglers didn't want to go. And, since it was a charter, I went with the majority opinion. I didn't really feel right about it. But the decision was made. Time to move on.
The rest of the day was spent in the restaurants. I left a bit later than normal as I didn't have to prepare for a fishing trip and get to bed early.
I received an $100.00 donation four days ago from Alain Laliberte (MA) sponsoring me in the Pan-Mass Challenge, my cancer research fundraising cycling event that takes place the first Saturday in August every year. Of course, cancer never sleeps so the fundraising shouldn't stop either. So I accept donations until December 31, 2026. This donation was made as an "eGift" through the PMC site. Thanks, Alain for your thoughtfulness and generosity. Not only do I appreciate your support, it helps so many.
At 5:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 41°F, the sky was, again, cloudless and crystal clear, the wind was blowing out of the north at ten knots and the visibility over the ocean was excellent.
The wind increased as the morning progressed to fifteen and twenty knots. Seas offshore, or at the Portland Lightship weather buoy, were four and half feet every nine seconds. This was at 8:00 AM. By 10:00 AM, the wind was blowing a sustained eighteen knots or eighteen to twenty-one knots at the lightship (or what used to be the position of the lightship). Seas were about the same. By noon, the wind started to back off. It was fifteen knots in Perkins Cove. By 1:00 PM, the wind was blowing out of the northeast at ten knots. We had no wind along the shore at 5:00 PM. The sea close to shore was calm. The visibility was excellent all day. The sky, which was cloudless in the morning, started gaining offshoots of high thin cirrocumulus clouds from the storm to the south of us. These appeared over us. To the south, at 4:00 PM, mares tails could be seen. The air temperature reached a wonderful high of 68°F. With the abundant sunshine and the light wind, it was wonderful on the deck at Barnacle Billy's. It was indeed a treat. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high air temperature was 62°F (with a low of 44°F). The Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 70°F (with a low of 29°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 67°F (with a low of 34°F).
I spent the day at the restaurant, getting there earlier than normal so I could work in the office after I made the first rounds. I ended my day there at 7:00 PM.
We had another beautiful sunny day ashore. It was windy all day. Wind started out at twenty or more knots out of the north northeast to northeast. Seas from the offshore buoys were showing six foot seas every eight or nine seconds. Mid morning saw gusts up to twenty-five knots. By noon, the wind had dropped from fifteen to twenty knots. Winds did drop to about fifteen knots a couple hours after, through the afternoon and into the night. To me, this seemed like the storm was moving further offshore and away from our area, particularly with the northerly contingent to the wind. The sky stayed clear and sunny for all but the last two hours of the day that saw some cloudiness. The visibility remained excellent. The air temperature was not as warm as it was yesterday with a high, that I saw, of 58°F. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high air temperature was 56°F (with a low of 46°F). The Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 62°F (with a low of 28°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 57°F (with a low of 41°F).
The day turned out to be another windy one, a bit cooler and less sun, near the end of the day. So the restaurants weren't as busy as I expected them to be. But the weather forecast is so important as well. With the idea of a storm coming up the coast and the talk of strong winds, even without the rain, I think it steers people away. But what do I know. It was a decent day compared to the same day last year. But, last year, it was raining in the morning and cloudy for the rest of the day.
I didn't do much but spend more time in the office than I normally would. It's the end of our season so there was a meeting about closing everything out. Later in the day I met a tech to go over our security system at Barnacle Billy's, Etc. We have been having problems there. We are starting with replacing a key pad. Right now there is always someone in the building. So it's not an issue right now. But I want this completely ready when we are ready to close up.
In the end, I got much done. But I did regret not being able to take the fishing trip yesterday and getting the boat ready to fish tomorrow.
At 5:00 AM EDT the air temperature was 46°F, the sky was overcast, the wind was blowing out of the north at twenty knots and the visibility over the ocean was excellent.
The sky stayed overcast for the first three hours of the morning, mostly cloudy near the end of the morning and mostly clear at noon. The sky was clear after noon until nightfall. The visibility remained excellent. The wind blew out of the north at about twenty knots, more or less, until mid afternoon, when it dropped to less than fifteen knots. Closer to sunset, there was no wind. After sunset, the northerly wind picked up again to about twenty knots and kept blowing into the night. The air temperature was warmer longer today than the last two days. The highest air temperature that I saw was 67°F. But we had 60°F on the patio at Barnacle Billy's after sunset. It was still just under 60°F at 8:00 PM. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high air temperature was 65°F (with a low of 47°F). The Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 69°F (with a low of 30°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 63°F (with a low of 41°F).
I concentrated on Barnacle Billy's instead of dwelling on not being able to go fishing. I did reflect on the day after it was over. My take was that we could have gone but would have been remiss if we really did have a gale out on the fishing grounds. That didn't happen. The National Weather Service misjudged the distance the storm would be offshore. It was further offshore than expected. Or the wind field didn't extend as far as they expected. Either way, it was no rougher than the October 15th trip. This is neither here nor there as we didn't go. So I sucked it up and went on with the day.
I did wish that we had have done on the Tuesday trip. I have spots where we catch special fish only when the wind is out of that direction, at that wind speed with the moon phase the way it was at this time of year. I could have been the perfect trip. But, it also could not have been. Sometimes what I think is going to happen doesn't. But, quite often, it does. Who knew?
The wind seemed to appear in the Cove at 6:00 AM through the early part of the daylight morning. Wind speeds out of the north were twenty-five knots sustained until around 10:00 AM. Winds started to drop slowly after that. By noon, the wind had dropped to, barely, twenty knots. By 2:00 PM, the northerly wind was about fifteen knots. By sunset, we had ten knots of wind that looked more northeast than north. There was very little wind going into the night. The sky was clear all day. The visibility remained excellent throughout. The air temperature never really got up above the 60°F mark. I thought it would. But the highest air temperature that I saw was 59°F. However, the northwest side of the building, on the deck, at Barnacle Billy's, had to be 70°F in the sun. The building was blocking the wind. With the sun beating down on the deck, it was just lovely. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high air temperature was 53°F (with a low of 43°F). The Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 60°F (with a low of 26°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 56°F (with a low of 31°F).
As is normal on Friday morning, I was down at the restaurants, opening the restaurants and getting ready for a wonderful fall weather day. This is the beginning of Ogunquitfest weekend. It's also the last weekend that Barnacle Billy's (Original) will be open. Tomorrow morning, the Ogunquitfest Kids Halloween Parade will be going through the Cove trick-or-treating at all the local establishments. We have already got all the candy out ready for the event. The High Heel Dash, on Sunday, will start at 3:00 PM. That will end Ogunquitfest, at least in Perkins Cove.
I continued with getting the restaurants open and ready for deliveries. I left the restaurants at 9:30 AM. I was back at noon. We had larger than normal attendance at Original than a normal Friday. Many are here for the last weekend. There were many people I know from seeing them all year and others who were here for the first time this year, also people I have seen before. And, with a weekend like this, I was at each table longer than I normally am. I am early out on Friday's so I was done at 6:00 PM.
I received a $50.00 donation from Liz (last name withheld) sponsoring me in my cancer research project with the Pan-Mass Challenge and
. Liz told me how much she liked reading this piece and that she felt compelled to support this ride and what I was doing. Everyone knows someone with cancer. If you are lucky, it's not someone you love. Thank you, Liz, for your support and the nice conversation today. I appreciate both so very much. And I wish you and all you love the best for the future!
We had no wind all morning. The ocean along the shore was flat calm with a small, left over, swell, washing up as waves on the beach. After noon, we had a southerly flow going. There was just enough wind to raise a flag at times. Eight knots max? The visibility remained excellent. The sky remained cloudless all day. The air temperature was on the cool side with a high, that I saw, of only 59°F after noon. The air temperature on the deck of Barnacle Billy's was enhanced by the lack of wind and bright sun. It was t-shirt weather there most of the day. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high air temperature was 56°F (with a low of 38°F). The Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 64°F (with a low of 23°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 59°F (with a low of 28°F).
I was down at the Cove early this morning. This was the Saturday of Ogunquitfest. So they had the kids parade. I was back down at 10:00 AM so I could arrange things and get the candy out. I gave out candy to the kids at they came by. All the kids and parents used the Barmacle Billy's parking lot as a staging area. Once ready, at 10:45 AM, they marched down the road toward the bridge. Eventually, they came back our way where I was giving the candy out.
The rest of the day was very busy. It was a beautiful day that every weather service had predicted it would be a week in advance. It was Ogunquitfest, of course, that does attract a lot of attention. And it was our closing weekend. It was a great combination for good business. For me it was fun because I saw a lot of people who I know and met others who were here for the first time. I ended up leaving the restaurants at 7:30 PM. The bulk of the business was done by then. And it was time for me to go home.
The air temperature dropped a degree before making the climb up out of the 30s. By 8:30 AM, the air temperature had risen to 36°F. By 10:00 AM, the air temperature had reached 49°F in the shade. We had abundant sunshine all day long in a cloudless sky. The visibility was excellent. There was very little, if any, wind in the morning. The ocean along the shore was flat calm. I noticed a light southerly wind at 1:30 PM that had taken away all the calm patches on the ocean out in front of Oarweed Cove. We had ten knots of southerly wind by 4:00 PM. I never saw an increase in the daylight hours. After dark, the southerly wind increased to fifteen knots. The highest air temperature that I saw was 65°F. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high air temperature was 62°F (with a low of 40°F). The Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 70°F (with a low of 24°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 61°F (with a low of 30°F).
I got up early so I could get to the restaurants early on the last day that Barnacle Billy's would be open. It was a bit of a tough day for me. But a good day as well. Tough because it's our last day open. I will miss this. Good because it was so nice to see so many regular patrons who had come to just be there on the last day. Yes, it was like old home week. But it was more than that. I am reminded and reminded by all I greet, and all who I ask about their food, how wonderful our staff are. Our management crew, our servers, our valets, our cashiers, our takeout crew and our behind the scenes cooks and cleaners. All top notch. As I have said many times; "They make me look good." And they certainly do. It's no joke. And I don't say that lightly. I mean it so deeply that no one can really know. I couldn't do what I do so easily without the staff we have aboard. I'm so grateful for, their work ethic, their respect for me and their willingness to do a good job. And when there is something that needs to be addressed, they work to correct it. Never have I had any debate over what I want corrected. It's refreshing and allows me to concentrate on our patrons and the business in general. For all of those who work at Barnacle Billy's, Inc. and who might be reading this now, thank you so very much, from the bottom of my heart. On the last night, I always shake hands and thank our crew. But, of course, all the employees who worked this season are not there. So I only get to shake a few hands. That's just the way it is. Of course, I mean what I say to all our employees; thank you so very much.
My sister, Meg, made a cameo appearance tonight. And she stayed for quite a long time. It was nice to see her there. She had retired from the business at the beginning of the year. But she would come back and visit from time to time. So many people miss her. And I get asked about her all the time. She too is serious about entertaining our guests and patrons. And she is concerned about how the business is run. And she was wonderful tonight. So many love her and miss her. As do I.
So Barnacle Billy's is closed. This was the first restaurant our father started. Our Original. Barnacle Billy's, Etc. will still be open for another week, closing at 8:00 PM on Sunday, November 1st. I will be there every day except on the days that I will be captaining the Bunny Clark, Tuesday and Thursday. I'll be looking forward to seeing all who will be dining there for the next week.
I received two generous $100.00 donations from Barnacle Billy's patrons today sponsoring me in this season's Pan-Mass Challenge. One was from Rick & Pat (MA), a couple who I love talking to and who have supported me in the past. The other was from Kate & Kevin Strong (NC), great friends who have also supported me in the past. Thank you so much, all of you, for your, always, thoughtfulness and generosity. I so appreciate your trust in me and your help in this cancer project of mine. All the best through the winter. And I am looking forward to seeing you in the spring.
Today was gift of a day. There was no wind to speak of. The ocean was flat calm and glassy all morning. In the afternoon, we had a light southwest wind. But I don't believe we even saw eight knots. The flags on the bridge barely moved. When daylight struck, we had some clouds, more like a mackerel sky, more than anything else. In the afternoon, we had cloud cover. Not exactly overcast. But very few patches of blue. This changed by 4:00 PM with the clouds clearing out. The visibility was just shy of excellent. The air temperature soared to a value of 72°. A "111" day indeed. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high air temperature was 73°F (with a low of 44°F). The Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 73°F (with a low of 25°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 68°F (with a low of 30°F).
I spent my morning working on getting the Bunny Clark ready for the fishing trip tomorrow. I tried to get most of Danny's stuff done as he was lobstering and I had one restaurant that I didn't have to worry about anymore. At least as far as visiting patrons goes. Danny usually comes in from lobstering gets the bait ready, gets ice and does a few other things. I want him as sharp as I can get him tomorrow. And I don't mind the extra work if I have time. I like to work. I think I like to work more than I like to have time off. You need practice to enjoy a day off. That takes time. I don't have time.
Barnacle Billy's, Etc. was busier than I expected it to be. That was really good. I worked until 5:00 PM. From there I went home to get myself ready for tomorrow's trip. I really can't wait to get out there. It's going to be a bit windy. But the wind will be from the perfect direction if the weather forecast is correct. It rarely is.
At 3:45 AM EDT the air temperature was 47°F, the sky was mostly clear, the wind was out of the north northwest at twenty knots (more or less) and the visibility over the ocean was excellent.
We left the gate behind us with a full moon at our backs high in the western sky, clear as a bell. So bright was the moon that you could hardly see any stars. We had an air temperature of 47°F and a surface water temperature of 52°F at the six mile mark. The wind was out of the northeast for the first ten miles but backed into the north for the rest of the ride. At first, we had wind speeds of twenty plus knots and seas of four to five feet. But the northerly wind slacked off about two thirds of the way to our destination. Just before arrival, we had fifteen knots of northerly wind and three to four foot chops, much nicer than I expected. The visibility was excellent, the sky remained clear and the air temperature rose to 54°F before we got to the fishing grounds.
On the fishing grounds, the wind blew out of the north at fifteen knots upon arrival with seas of three to four feet in chops. An hour later the seas were three feet max. The winds slowly diminished all day. By noon, we had eight knots of wind with a one to two foot chop, maybe less. An hour later it was flat calm with just a ripple from the north northwest. The wind was light from the south when we wrapped it up for the day. The ocean was calm for the whole ride in. The air temperature reached a high of 60°F by 2:00 PM. The visibility ranged to thirty miles. The tide (current) was strong. The sky was cloudless for most of the day. The surface water temperature reached a high of 53°F.
Ashore, these were the air temperatures in selected New England cities: In Portsmouth, New Hampshire, the high air temperature was 56°F. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high air temperature was 57°F (with a low of 43°F). The Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 55°F (with a low of 27°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 54°F (with a low of 33°F).
The fishing was very good. The seas, the stronger tide, the dogfish and the cooler air temperature wouldn't allow me to give it a higher rating. The catching was excellent if you included the small fish, mackerel, dogfish and small cod. We did have a pretty lean period for about an hour. Landings were good at best. It would have been a pretty lean day if not for the last two hours of fishing. Most legal fish landed were pollock, by far. Legal landings also included eight cod, eight squid, forty-two mackerel, five cusk, eighteen haddock, seven white hake, eleven redfish, two cunners and twelve whiting. Released fish included thirty-four sub-legal cod, fifteen sub-legal haddock, thirty-eight small pollock, eleven sub-legal redfish, thirty-six dogfish, eight mackerel, three sculpins and two mud hake. We anchored once to no avail, staying with drifting for every other spot. Cod flies and jigs caught the most fish.
I have no idea who was high hook. It could have been Fred Kunz (NH) but I'm not sure. Fred won the boat pool for the largest fish with the largest fish, a 37 pound Maine state trophy white hake. This is Fred's biggest hake in many years and tied for the third largest hake of the 2026 Bunny Clark fishing season. I took a picture of Fred holding his big hake. This digital image appears on the left. His biggest pollock weighed 10 pounds. Bill Harding (ME), who, incidentally, caught a hake earlier in the year that tied Fred's 37 pound hake, won the boat pool for the second largest fish with the second largest fish, 19 pound pollock. This ties for the fourth largest pollock of the Bunny Clark fishing season so far. Gus Manon (MA) caught the third largest fish, a 16.25 pound pollock. Gus also caught the largest haddock of the trip at 4.5 pounds, caught a 9 pound cod and another cod that weighed 15 pounds. The bigger cod is the Bunny Clark's fifth largest cod of the Bunny Clark fishing season to date and was the largest cod of the trip today. I took a picture of Gus holding his wonderful cod. This digital image appears on the right.
Other Angler Hightlights: Shawn Rosenberger (PA) didn't have a normal Shawn Rosenberger day. On two separate spots he lost what were probably the two largest cod of the day. One of them he had almost to gaff when it got off the hook, rolling and rolling all the way up from bottom. He didn't even have any fish big enough for me to weigh - except for a good sized sculpin which, in deference to him, I did not get a weight on. After his struggles bringing a huge sea raven to the surface last year, he was not in the right place to go through it again with the sea raven's smaller cousin. Actually, he did catch a white hake that might have been 10 pounds, I didn't weigh that fish. Dave Burton (MA) caught a 9.5 pound cod, his best fish. He also had a white hake about the same size. Mike Struzik (RI) landed a 9.5 pound pollock, his best fish. David Struzik (RI) had two good sized pollock that I weighed. One was 13.5 pounds. The other was 10 pounds. Barry Ano (NY) caught a 7.5 pound cod. He also caught a double that included an 8 pound pollock and a 9 pound pollock, both fish caught on the same line at the same time. Lew Hazelwood (MA) landed a double that included a 14.5 pound pollock and a 10 pound pollock. He had caught a 13.5 pound pollock earlier in the day. He might also have been high hook with the most legal fish. Ryan Hammond (NY) caught a double that included a 14 pound pollock and an 8 pound pollock. Ryan had caught a 9.5 pound pollock earlier in the day. Nino Pierdipino (NY) boated a 12 pound pollock and a 10 pound pollock, his two biggest fish. Nick Zito (CT) landed a 10.5 pound pollock.
I received two donations from anglers who are serial donors throughout my fishing season, sponsoring me in my cancer research project with the Pan-Mass Challenge. I received $50.00 from Fred Kunz and another donation of $60.00 from Dave Burton. Thank you both so very much for being so thoughtful and so continuously generous. I believe it's a great cause and a wonderful team to support at Dana-Farber in Boston. Your donations don't support my drive as much as it keeps the ball rolling toward new developments and future medical successes. These are shown in real time every year. The whole of it makes me love doing this and trying to generate more. So thank you so very much. It's so very much appreciated in all avenues.
The sunrise was cloudless as it was at 5:00 AM. By 10:00 AM, we had cloud cover moving in from the south. The wind had backed out of the north by that time. Wind speeds were still light at six or eight knots. The sky never did become overcast. Sometimes there was more clouds than clear sky. Other times it was the reverse. In the end, the day ended with clear skies. Early afternoon, the wind hauled out of the south. Light at first, the wind blew up to about eight knots, that I saw. The visibility was excellent. The highest air temperature that I saw was 52°F. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high air temperature was 52°F (with a low of 38°F). The Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 54°F (with a low of 23°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 49°F (with a low of 25°F).
I spent the early part of the morning working on getting the boat and myself ready for tomorrow's trip. By 8:30 AM, I was in the office at Barnacle Billy's, Etc. in a meeting about our insurance coverage at the restaurants and the details of the new insurance plan going forward. I finished off the morning with the final touches on the Bunny Clark trip tomorrow.
We had the business day I would have expected at the restaurant. It wasn't busy. But it wasn't slow. I got a lot done in the office today. And that's most of what I did in the afternoon.
At 2:45 AM EDT the air temperature was 45°F, the sky was clear with a light mackerel sky directly overhead and a waning moon overhead, the wind was blowing out of the west at six knots and the visibility over the ocean was excellent.
On the ride out to the fishing grounds it was a bit choppy with much spray raking across the stern. At the six mile mark, the air temperature was 47°F and the surface water temperature was 53°F. The surface water temperature would go remain the same or go down a degree was we continued out. The sky was clear with smaller moon behind us. The visibility was excellent. Seas were three feet with the occasional queer one.
On the fishing grounds, the wind blew out of the southwest or west southwest at twenty knots all morning and into the afternoon. Wind speeds never seemed to slacken all day. Seas were three to four feet with some tide induced lulls and a few higher ones. There was no sea swell to speak of, only chops. The air temperature reached a high of 57°F. The visibility ranged to twenty-five miles. The tide was light to moderate. The sky remained cloudless all day. The surface water temperature reached a high of 53°F.
Wind and sea conditions were the same for the first ten miles on the ride back to Perkins Cove. There was much less wind on Jeffrey's Ledge. The wind and seas were less as we got closer. Somewhere around the eight mile mark, the wind let go and hauled out of the south. Wind speeds were light and chops were gone.
Ashore, these were the air temperatures in selected New England cities: In Portsmouth, New Hampshire, the high air temperature was 72°F. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high air temperature was 69°F (with a low of 48°F). The Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 71°F (with a low of 31°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 64°F (with a low of 38°F).
The fishing was good at best. Mobility was cut down because of the wave action. Fishing on the bow was eliminated except to one seasoned veteran. [Pete Atwood (VT), ladies and gentlemen, Pete Atwood!] Some anglers were sea sick. Those who were fishing were all in the cockpit, promoting more tangles than normal. The catching was excellent except for two spots. One was a drifting spot where I expected to ease into the fish. This didn't happen. Landings were very good, excellent for size in some species. Most legal fish landed were pollock followed by redfish. The pollock were mostly 5 and 6 pounds to 15.5 pounds. We didn't catch a redfish under 13" caliper fork length. They were all big. There were no sub-legal redfish caught. I would honestly say that most would have been of trophy weight had they been caught at a time in the spring where they were having their young. These fish had the frame of a trophy fish but were lean. Legal landings also included four cod, fifty-six cusk and nine haddock. There were no squid or mackerel caught. Released fish included a dogfish, fifteen sub-legal cod, twenty-two sub-legal pollock and no small haddock. Every productive spot was an anchor stop. We did have one slow anchor stop. Cod flies caught the most fish.
I couldn't tell you who was high hook. Many of my regular anglers had thirty of more legal fish. Darlene Chin (FL) caught the largest fish of the trip, a 16.5 pound cod. She never gets in the boat pool so she didn't win in that category. She did, however, get the biggest fish so the sticker was hers again. This cod is the Bunny Clark's fifth largest cod of the fishing season to date. I believe her biggest pollock weighed 10 pounds. She catches so many big fish I didn't write the figure down on the day sheet. Stan Lewkowicz (CT) won the boat pool for the largest fish with the second largest fish, a 16.5 pound wolffish. This is, technically, the Bunny Clark's second largest wolffish of the season so far. I say technically, because Matt Luce (ME) lost a wolffish on the surface this spring that would have weighed over 20 pounds. I never got the opportunity to put it on a scale. It's illegal to keep wolffish. So all the wolffish we catch go back alive. Stan also caught one of the bigger pollock of the trip with one that weighed 14.75 pounds. The third largest fish was a 15.5 pound pollock caught by Moe Thibault (VT).
Other Angler Highlights: Fred Kunz (NH) could have been high hook. What is really abnormal for Fred is that he stopped keeping track after thirty legal fish. Who knew? Some of the fish of his that I weighed included a 12 pound pollock, an 11.5 pound pollock and a 10 & 9.5 pound cusk. Fred caught one legal haddock. Shawn Rosenberger (PA) was another high hook contender where I had no clue as to how many fish he might have had. Dave Burton (MA) the same. Some of Shawn's fish that I weighed included a 9.5 pound cusk, a 10.5 pound pollock, the largest haddock of the trip at 5 pounds and a wolffish that I estimated at 10 pounds. I did take a quick picture, of which I will post in the future, just before he released it alive. Barry Ano (NY) had the biggest double of the day. The double included a 12 pound pollock and a 12.5 pound pollock, both fish on the same line at the same time. He also caught another pollock that weighed 12 pounds.
Jeff Burke (ME) boated the second biggest cod of the day. It weighed 10.5 pounds. This was one of the only good fish we caught while on the drift. He also caught a 9.5 pound cusk and a 2.25 pound Maine state trophy redfish. This redfish is tied for the fifth largest redfish of the Bunny Clark fishing season. I took a picture of Jeff with his prize redfish. This digital image appears on the right. Marcin Zawisza (CT) boated a 12.5 pound pollock, his biggest fish. Brian Erickson (ME) caught the second largest double of the trip. His double included a 13 pound pollock and an 11.25 pound pollock. Roger Grandchamp (VT) caught the largest cusk of his life today, a 13 pound Maine state trophy. Nino Pierdipino (NY) caught a cusk a pound bigger at 14 pounds. This is Nino's biggest cusk as well; obviously a Maine state trophy by 2 pounds. I took a picture of Bryan Lewer (ME) holding Nino's cusk right next to Nino. This digital image appears on the left. Nora Erickson (ME) boated two Maine state trophy redfish. One weighed 2 pounds. The other weighed 2.25 pounds, tying for the Bunny Clark's fifth largest redfish of the season so far. She admitted to me that the largest fish she had caught before was a sunfish, small & large mouth bass. I saw her boat an 8 pound pollock. And I know that she caught other fish, along with Brian.
I received two donations today sponsoring me in my cancer research project with the Pan-Mass Challenge. Dave Burton gave another donation. This one was $70.00. Barry Ano gave a very generous $250.00 donation. Thank you both very much for your thoughtfulness and generosity. This is so very kind of you. And many appreciate this so very much!
Before I end here, someone walked off with Darlene Chin's black Lamiglas rod and left theirs on the boat in it's place. Darlene would love to have her rod back. And I would love not to have to store someone else's rod in my garage all winter. If you think you might have grabbed the wrong rod, you can call me at 207-251-2214. If you aren't sure, please check. Darlene brings me huge luck when she is aboard the Bunny Clark. If her missing rod is one of the elements of the wonderful luck she brings, I, for two, would love her to have it in her hot little hands.
As the Iran war continues, and our involvement deepens, so does the increase in fuel prices. Today, the price is over double the price I paid for fuel last year. I thought it was high last year. I will continue to request a fuel surcharge of $20.00 per person for the more inshore trips but am going to have to increase it to $30.00 when I can go offshore further. I will make the determination on the day of the trip.. Hopefully, that will be the most I have to charge. I'm sorry I have to do this. And I hope you understand. Hopefully, these fuel prices will decrease sooner than later. Whatever it is, it will not keep me from going where I need to go to catch you the number of fish you like to bring home including a few big ones here and there.
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