Its spring again, and we here at the Gloucester Fleet are ready to show you avid anglers what it means to go fishing on the historic grounds off of Gloucester, MA. Our 72’ vessel, The Lady Sea, has been inspected and cleared for another season. She is loaded to the scuppers with the best fishing gear, and crewed by the seasoned professionals that you all have come to expect.
Captain Mike Mann is in the wheelhouse, Archie MacLeod is back to run the deck, and Captain Marco Lograsso will be alternating between the deck and the wheelhouse this year. Christie Orlando and Kristy Gallant will be manning the galley as always, bringing that feminine touch that without which we would be severely lacking.
Carolann and Booty are running the show in the office, and are standing by the phone and booth to answer all of your questions. All in all, this is by far the best collection of personalities and experience that you will find anywhere in the business. Together we guarantee that your fishing adventure will be fun, exciting, and fulfilling.
Traditionally, spring fishing off of Gloucester is some of the best bottom fishing that can be found anywhere on the east coast. At Gloucester Fleet we have the unique ability to gather information from both first hand encounters by our crew (most of which are commercial fisherman in the off season), and through reports fed to us by friendly parties from the commercial fishing industry. This gives us a great perspective on where to find fish in the opening days of the season when other boats are still trying to get a feel for where to begin.
So far the reports are getting better by the day. Honestly, it has been a slower start this year than the past two, which is in no small part due to the weather. However, the landings are improving daily, with haddock making a great showing in the waters closer to shore. Cod fish have been around right through the winter, to the point that if not for the federal closures we would run trips all year long. We are very happy with the reports that we are seeing thus far this season, and the crew can’t wait to get out there and start catching.
The cod season officially opens for recreational fishing on April 15 at midnight. It is our feeling that it is better to wait until all of our target species are legal to catch before we start fishing, so that we are not faced with the situation of catching a ton of cod fish and having to make you throw the majority of your catch back. Otherwise, the regulations this year have stayed roughly the same: 24’’ minimum size limit on cod as well as a 10 fish per person bag limit, 19’’ inch minimum size limit on haddock with no bag limit.
Because of these regulations as well as their recent dominance in the waters off of Cape Ann, we predominantly try to target haddock, and therefore intend on mostly bait fishing. This does not mean that jigging is out of the question, not by a long shot. You can rest assured that whatever is working best at the time of your’ trip is what the crew will advise you to use. As such, listen to them when they give you advice. It is our goal to see you go home with the most fish possible and our advice is geared towards that aim.
Also, don’t forget to check out our specials page on our website gloucesterfleet.com or our Facebook page. Just search "Gloucester Fleet Deep Sea Fishing" on Facebook and click on the link. As always we are running both open boat and charter specials for the months of April and May.
The specials are as follows:
1) Open boat - Buy one ticket at full price, get the second one half price- a total of $96.00
Open boat deal available on every Friday in the months of April and May, and cannot be combined with any other deals or special pricing such as child or senior citizen rates etc..
2) Charters- 9 hour trip, Monday thru Thursday (up to 40 ppl), $1900 flat rat
9 hour trip, Friday thru Sat (up to 40 ppl), $2200 flat rate
6 hour trip, Monday thru Thursday (up to 40 ppl), $1400 flat rate
6 hour trip, Friday thru Sunday (up to 40ppl) $1700 flat rate
4 1/2 hour trip, Monday thru Thursday (up to 40 ppl), $1000 flat rate
4 ½ hour trip, Friday thru Sunday (up to 40 ppl), $1300 flat rate
All charter rates include the use of boat rods and reels, bait, and hooks. The rates do not reflect the price of terminal tackle (sinkers and jigs), or a tip for the deck crew (15%) and galley crew (your discretion). All charters must sail before May 31st, 2011.
We are looking forward to another great season, and can’t wait to take you and your party, or just you and your friends and family out fishing. We are a family owned and operated business, and we strive to meet all of our customers’ needs and requests. So, don’t hesitate to give us a call with any questions or ideas you have in order to fulfill your needs this season. Once you come fishing with the best, we promise you’ll never even consider going with the rest.
