posted
I want to spend some time with my father before I return to the joyful grind of college. We both agree that fishing would be an awesome bonding experience.
The problem is that we don't know how to go about finding a fishing expedition. We live in Boston - anyone have any ideas?
Posts: 3060 | Registered: Nov 2003
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posted
Thanks for the link, Kwea, but all of the links appear to be charter.
Are all fishing expeditions chartered? It'd be great to go along with other people to spread the cost. We can also go to Cape Cod for the fishing.
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posted
What sort of fishing are you thinking of doing (stream, shore, deep sea)? What sort of timeline are you looking at (i.e. when does the "joyful grind" go into effect)? Are either of you experienced fishermen? Is your primary goal to spend some one-on-one time or is it to get a trophy or what?
I live in Boston, but don't know much of anything about fishing. However I have a good friend whom I'm sure could give reams of fishing advice of this sort, if you narrow down what your looking for a bit.
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quote:Originally posted by Phanto: Thanks for the link, Kwea, but all of the links appear to be charter.
Are all fishing expeditions chartered? It'd be great to go along with other people to spread the cost. We can also go to Cape Cod for the fishing.
I've only ever heard of charters, unless you know someone who owns a boat... Also,you need to be careful, as you probably will need a fishing license (though I think charters are an exception).
posted
Oh, ok. Then I'll ask him and see if he's interested in a charter trip.
The joyful grind starts this upcoming Monday; neither of us is an experienced fisherman -- mostly, we're just looking to have a good time.
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posted
I don't think you need a license to go shore fishing in MA. Given the compressed timeline and the lack of drive to get some really big fish, that might be the easiest route to getting what you want out of it. I'll ask my friend if he has any recommended locales (I know he's mentioned a few places up near Gloucester and Ipswitch to me before).
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posted
All of the fishing in a boat you were talking about would be a charter...although sometimes these places have "charter trips" that are open. You don't have to rent the boat all yourself, in other words. You go with others just looking for a trip.
If there is no open slot, or no trip planed, then you have to charter the boat yourself. It depends on the boat company as well as the time of the year.
Posts: 15082 | Registered: Jul 2001
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quote: The trick is to either find some fish close to shore or hire somebody with a boat. It's a good time to fish....late summer/early fall season is here, and the stripers and bluefish get pretty hungry as they tank up for their migration to the south for the winter.
I'd try three or four places for shore fishing:
1. First to come to mind is Crane Beach. Consult tide charts and go at about the 3rd hour of an outgoing tide (so 2-3 hours after the high). Turn left at the beach and go up to where a bunch of big rocks sit near the shore. Cast popper plugs or soft baits on a surf-casting outfit into the outgoing tidal flow. With luck, there will be birds diving on the leftovers of stripers feeding on small baitfish. 15-20lb. test line is good. If the bluefish are around, you'll need a 40-50lb. fluorocarbon leader, or piece of 15lb. wire, on the end of the line to fight the teeth.
2. Same deal at Devereaux Beach in Marblehead, except the tide should be last couple of hours of incoming, first couple of outgoing.
3. Revere Beach, same as Devereaux. Advantages are that it's free parking, and a long beach. Look for birds diving near shore.
4. A more urban possibility would be to go to Winthrop and fish from Coughlin Park, Yirrel Beach, and then near the parking lot at the entrance to the Deer Island water treatment plant (can't go into the compound unless you're an employee or other official type). Coughlin, right at the point where boats enter and leave the marina and directly opposite Snake Island, would be the most reliable bet, but any of the three could hold fish. And where the cars must stop (you can park there for free) at the beginning of Deer Island you can begin a good walk along the bike path that goes out to the tip, where the huge round holding tanks are, and hope for fish along there, or on the ocean side, too. The tides for the harbor seem to be best on the incoming, from about an hour into it to when the water stops moving as the tide peaks.
5. Cape Cod can be a good place: drive to Orleans, go to the Goose Hummock Shop, find out from those guys where the fish are, and go get 'em. Race Point Beach in Provincetown is a famous fishing spot for good reason; it's far away by car, or you could take the ferry and rent some bicycles to get to the beach. Lots of people do well by renting a small power boat in Wellfleet and going out into the harbor to catch bluefish. Remember, if you catch a bluefish, you don't EVER put any part of you in its mouth (definitely need pliars or a clamp to get the hook out)--they have a row of razor-sharp teeth that can, and have on occasion, lop off a finger. That said, they're the most fun fish to catch in these parts, and they taste great (especially if you gut them within an hour or so of catching them, get all the blood out of their backbone area, and keep them cool). Stripers are softie mouthed critters than won't hurt you, and will give a good fight too. (Stripers also get a lot bigger than blues: a 60lb. striper is possible [highly unlikely, though], while a 15lb. bluefish is a monster). 28" minimum to keep a striper (2 per day); no minimum size for blues (10 per day).
If these guys need equipment for surfcasting, I could loan them one rod and reel combo that would work well.
Another alternative would be to hire a local guide, pay the money, and spend half a day that they'll never forget. It would cost about $300, and there could be a third fisherman to split the cost. Barry Richards in Essex, Barry Clemson in Rowley, or any one of several good, light-tackle fishing guides out of Boston Harbor would be pretty much foolproof this time of year. There are also "party boats" out of Plum Island or Gloucester that take 40-50 people fishing for cod/haddock/bottom fish, and sometimes for blues and stripers. That's a cheaper prospect: between $35 for half a day to $80 for a full day of fishing, per person. Captain's Fishing Parties out of Plum Island and the Yankee Fleet from Gloucester do the best--with Yankee, you'd likely see a bunch of whales.
That's my distilled wisdom on fishing around here for newbies. Hope it helps!
Hope you catch a big one.
Posts: 2926 | Registered: Sep 2005
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Yeah...my dad has done both types of charter...private, and what your friend calls "party boats", and he caught a lot of fish both ways. He said if you want to fish for something specific, private is the way to go, but if you just want a fun day out fishing the party boats are just fine.
My mom did a party boat one with my dad, I think and she liked it.
Posts: 15082 | Registered: Jul 2001
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No information on fishing, but my wife and I thoroughly enjoyed our time in Boston a couple weeks ago.
Posts: 14554 | Registered: Dec 1999
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quote:Originally posted by Bokonon: I did a party boat when I was 10. I caught a bluefish!
quote:Boston is a very cool town.... as long as you don't live there.
You had a typo there, Kwea.
-Bok
Fixed that for you, Bok.
Most of my objections to Boston are really objections to large city life, but I really hated living in MA overall. No real job prospects, shrinking communities, poor infrastructure, lousy small business atmosphere, and very high taxes.
And snow, a four letter word according to my wife.
Perhaps it is different when you live in the city that all the politicians think IS the state.....
Posts: 15082 | Registered: Jul 2001
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I disagree about MA being resilient...there have been a HUGE number of businesses closing in the past 3 years. It just started years earlier in MA than in the rest of the country, that's all.
I was back in MA about 6 months ago, and almost half the businesses I use to frequent were out of business, usually without anything there to replace them. It is really sad, and pretty pathetic.
Look at the census data....there has been a HUGE flow of people consistently moving AWAY from MA in droves for about 5-6 years now, and I don't blame them at all.
To be honest, you may not see this inside Boston's city limits, but the entire rest of the state (not just west of Springfield) is hurting pretty bad. It is one of the few states that has been shrinking in population in the past 5 years, even during fairly good conditions.
There is more to the state than Boston, despite what Beacon Hill believes.
Posts: 15082 | Registered: Jul 2001
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The population is shrinking because the cost of living is so high (regardless of taxes). When an 1100-sq. ft. condo goes for $350k, that's a lot of money. And that's not just in Boston proper.
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