The cold spring weather continues to put the fishing season on hold. Flounder are beginning to bite off the Pamet, and a few tautog are being taken around rock piles, […]
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Stop and Smell the Plankton
Of cold water, sea lice, early birds, and a few new rules
The weather this past week — the temperatures remained cooler than usual and the winds howled — was not conducive to an improvement in fishing. With the water temperature in […]
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Dolphins and Cruise Ships Find Our Hidden Harbors
Notes on playing safely as the season begins
Not much to report on the fishing front, as the water is still a bit too chilled to get things percolating. Striped bass continue their slow, deliberate trek to the […]
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Painting Hulls, Tuning Up Engines, and Sharpening Our Hooks
Will the joys of fishing with smaller groups and more space on boats last?
Another season on the water is soon upon us and, with a little luck, we may not have Covid issues dramatically affecting everything we do. Still, the last two seasons […]
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When East Winds Pummel Our Harbor
It’s time for those who have boats to rethink readiness
The Provincetown waterfront once again took a severe beating from a coastal storm which, other than Hurricane Bob, was probably as intense as any coastal storm we’ve experienced in recent […]
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A Look Back at the Quirks of the Season
It’s time to haul out and sharpen our hooks for next year
It’s that time of year once again. Charter boat captains are doing all those little projects on their boats that there was no time for in season. Boats are beginning […]
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On This Waterfront, We Get It. You Can’t Do It Alone.
Of bluefish, tuna, mola molas, and the colorful characters who define the season
Fall is looming, as the days get shorter and the air and water temperatures drop a little more each week. September can be a tremendous month for fishing here. It’s […]
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Weathering the Weather and Keeping On Fishing
This is the new normal; it’s time to start adapting
In a summer of relentless storms, the latest to hit the waterfront was what remained of Hurricane Ida. This one came racing up the East Coast and packed a much […]
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Bluefish and Blue Crabs, Too
There’s also bonito out there, and a chance at more stripers as they migrate south
Happy days are here again. Bluefish are still solidly in our area, and catches have been fantastic. Can we officially declare the five-year bluefish drought over? I don’t think anyone […]
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Henri’s Wallop Is More Financial Than Physical
Boats haul out, but squid, bluefish, and dolphins are here
The summer of big storms continues, with our first named storm rolling into the Provincetown waterfront over the weekend. Henri was initially predicted to hammer Cape Cod, but its sharp […]
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Bluefish Reign, but Hypoxia Threatens South End of Bay
A major factor is lawn fertilizer raising nitrogen levels
As the water heats up, the bluefishing just keeps getting better and better. I recorded some extraordinary surface water temperatures last week: 77 degrees in the harbor, and 75 degrees […]
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Stripers Are Scarce, as Blues and Squid Take Their Place
Capt. Tom Smith pulls a relic from the ocean floor
We have fallen into what used to be the normal summer pattern, but which we haven’t seen here in eight years: striped bass have all but disappeared in our local […]
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New Tuna Chasers Need an Etiquette Lesson
Wicked Tuna converts are crowding the old-timers on Stellwagen
We finally got a week with somewhat normal summer weather, and fishing has been what it should be in midsummer. The bay seems very quiet right now; the cottages at […]
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An Anxious Week on the Wharf
The effects of the Covid cluster are felt on the waterfront
It certainly has been a strange week on the waterfront. First, we are getting some weird sunsets over the water, as the atmosphere is filled with smoke from the Western […]
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Reports of Big Bluefish and Black Sea Bass
And, perhaps, one more casualty of Tropical Storm Elsa
Fishing is settling into a typical summer pattern. Water temperatures have been up and down all season, but last week they were in the mid 60s to low 70s, which […]
