Conference wahoo::fishing

    I guess the word is caution. Depending on the time of year many
    people make their way off shore 10-15 miles and return safely.
    The problem is how do you determine when would be a good day.
    Take today for exanple, I planned on tuna fishing 30-40 miles
    from Hampton in a 25 ft boat. The forcast was for 10-20 mph NW wind.
    I got up at 4:00 am. but didn't like the feel, cold air, winds 17
    mph at the Isles of Shoales. I came into work. At noon the wind
    was gusting to 36 knots at the Islands. When I get into fall weather
    I add the wind range together, 10 + 20 = 30. It gets us closer
    to the wind on the open water after a cold front.
    
    Steve

    
    I have a 15' boston whaler w/ a 60hp - two years old.
    I'm probably too concerned, but I dont venture out of site of land.  I
    also plot compass courses (out and back) before I leave and generally
    keep a close eye on the weather and water depth.  Some of this
    is because the area in which I due most of my boating is very shallow
    and prone to fog.  (cape - Chatham/Wellfleet)  Fog makes me very
    nevious.
    
      The other thing that keeps me closer to shore is the simple
    size of my boat in comparison to the size of the waves.  I'm not 
    familiar with  silverline  boats - and lord knows almost every boat is
    dry in comparison to Whalers - but a 15-17' boat can bury its bow in an
    otherwise unimpressive wave.  Such things dont necessarly sink boats,
    or stall engines but they do make for interesting times. 
    
    
    
    
    						Harlan

    Hi Don
    If your in Beverly Harbor with your buddy give me a shout, Thats where
    my boat is. In Danversport.  I used to do a lot of fishing/diving in
    small boats and there is no way I would get out of the sight of land.
    Which up around here means 10 miles max on an IDEAL DAY. Add any
    factor like wind, waves, storms, fog, cold ect....and you can cut down
    the safety to "Real Close" In the beverly area I would not go much more
    than past the "Groaner Bouy" in a 16 ftr on a "GOOD DAY" . Given a 2-3
    ft chop and you can cut your speed to under 5 Kts and its a loong way
    back. Besides there's lots of good fishing in close all along the
    shoreline. I'll send you a chart with some spots marked off.
    
    Be sure you have a Flare Gun Kit, VHF radio and 300ft of anchor line
    with at least a 6 ft chain on a danforth anchor before you guys even
    think of going out. Also this time of year and onward and in spring
    have raingear and warm cloths along just in case. And of course life
    jackets that fit.
    
    I bounce around in my 12 ft rubber raft out in the rough stuff but
    never far from land. But then again they use the rafts for lifeboats
    so there pretty safe. Just watch your weather and you guys will do
    fine.
    
                                             Walt
    

    We went on Sunday.  The weather was beautiful and the sea was pretty
    mellow.  We didn't go out far, maybe 5 miles max.  Out of the harbor all 
    we got was shark and one cod.  In the harbor we picked up some flounder.
    
    The boat seemed to handle it well.  But I wouldn't want to be out in
    that size boat in the rough stuff.
    
    Walt, we did not have a radio or flare gun - if it were my boat I'd
    definitely have them - and I have already suggested those to my
    neighbor.  Are they by chance "required" for ocean going?
    
    donmac - caught his first shark, flounder and skate 8^)

    Hi Don
    Sunday was great out there, for sure! Too many blowboats in the harbor
    though, should have seen the ones in Glousta! Tall ships!!
    
    The VHF is not mandatory but the Flare's are. Every now and then the
    C.G. will stop people for a "Safty Check" and it would be wise to have
    them onboard. They are dated and are only good for 2 years. Bliss has
    them fairly cheap.
    
    I was out Diving at Kettle as usual, I've got my eye on a 20lb plus
    lobsta out there, if I can ever get him to come out of his cave. Picked
    up some nice Flounda using a spear. That's the place to go for the Real 
    Big doormats! Your fried could launch in Magnolia or Manchester and get
    to the Island real quick.
    
    No Cod?????
    
    
    Walt
    

    One small cod was caught, that's it.  I have no idea if we were doing
    the right thing in the right place.  This was my first time out.  My
    neighbor and the other two guys used to fish there often years ago.
    
    We were fishing store bought cod rigs with 12oz weights and clams for 
    bait, in maybe 150-200' of water, right outside of Beverly Harbor.
    
    When we moved into the harbor we were fishing 25-50' for flounder with
    flounder rigs, 12oz weights and sandworms for bait.
    
    donmac - who doesn't know much about this deep sea fishing

    re .5
    
    Hey Walt,
    
    Could you bait that sucker?
    
    TBDW
    
    

    Holy Sh-t , If you were in 200 ft of water? wait till you look at the
    chart to see where you were! Thats a little bit beyound where I'd want
    to be in that size boat. I know Saterday/Sunday were real nice but be
    carful. Sometimes it's deciving how far away you really are from land.
    									
    I'll be out this Sat. Yea! I'm going to try to "Bait that sucker" a
    onion bag full of chopped herring should bring the bug out of his hole.
    The problem is finding the hole again. I suppose I can put the bait in
    a ziplock bag and open it underwater when I find the hole. That way I
    don't have every bluefish and shark in town following me around while
    I'm swimming. I got bit by a bulefish last year and it aint no fun!
    
    Walt
    

    Donmac,
    
      I suspect you were only in about 120ft of water. You have to go
    out beyound the groaner bouy (#1 light in the salem channel) to
    find 160ft and them some to get to 200. I never fish bait in
    that area, all jigs. I will be real hard to find cod out there without
    a fishfinder. They hang around the hills and ledges and in between
    there are large flat areas of nothing. There is a nice little
    hill just to the south of the #2 nun by manachester that comes
    up to 60ft, I have taken some red cod there in the past. Also
    Joe had some luck in close to misery island with bait this spring.
    
    
    Capt. Codfish 

    Well, the owner of the boat had a new rope that he thought was 150' 
    long and we ended up having to tie on a number of other short segments 
    to find bottom.  I don't know how much line I had on my reel, but while
    we were out there I couldn't hit bottom.
    
    I recall a series of markers extending out from the harbor, the last
    one was a different color - I think there was a series of black ones
    and the last one was green.  We went out a ways beyond this marker and
    didn't seen any others.  We fished there for a few, one cod and 4-5
    sharks.
    
    No, we did not have a chart (or LCR or flare gun or radio...)
    
    I was guessing we were maybe 5 miles offshore.  I have no idea how deep
    we actually were, my buddy may have been wrong about the length of his
    rope - maybe it was 100' long...?
    
    donmac - who finds it easy to believe that no one in the boat really
    	     knew what they were doing or where they should be doing it
    	     8^)

Hey Donmac

A couple of times I had cod trips to stellwagon blown out due to some
bad wind.  To cut our losses we hid on the nw corner of Great Misery 
island no more than 100' off shore and tried for flounder.  Wound up
grabbing a couple of 4# cod along with 3 good sized flatties, all on
worms.  Right now its a little warm in there for the cod, but if you 
get a chart you'll see some nice humps seaside of Bakers Island.
Bruce and I have done well in there in the spring.  Its been a while since
I've done any fall codding in there but I heard of a guy grabbing a 
45# somewhere around there.  Might want to give it a shot.

Joe

Ooops, I meant the SE corner, almost between the 2 islands...

    I have an 18' older Cruisers Inc., and for the last couple of seasons,
    have been fishing out of Newburyport with it.  Its tough to say
    just when the sea is "safe" and when it isn't.  Generally, its a
    good idea to ask the harbormaster on the way out, or get a weather
    report form the US. Weather Bureau or even call the CG.  However,
    there have been times which prompted me a couple of weeks ago to
    purchase a 10' life raft.  I hope I never have to use it as it'll
    probably take TOOOOOOOO LONG to pump up.  I think I'll check US
    Boat in Waltham for some sort of cartriges to inflate it with.
    
    In any event, I shall continue to pursue the Cod fishing next month.
    Maybe they'll be closer to shore by then :^)
    
    Carlo