The End of Summer

Labor day has come and gone.  It officially marks the end of summer on Cape Cod.  The most noteable change is the LACK OF CARS on the roadways!  We have had some cool weather days and at this time of year you do not know what you will be wearing on the boat until you step outside in the early morning darkness.  Somedays will be shorts, t-shirt and flops and others you will have pants, fleece and full rubber boots.  Always best to come prepared.
Fishing has been great to date.  Bass are still off the backside but getting to them is the challenge with the tropical SE swells we have been having of late...
Tuna fishing has remained steady, we are getting bit most days and landing fish but are hopeful we are going to have some great topwater action soon as the water cools and the bait rounds up.
I still have plenty of open days late Sept and into Oct for those wanting to get out and experience light tackle for bluefin tuna!!

Viva Italiano!

First half of August

Hello Blog Fans. Today's trip was pushed to Thursday due to nasty easterlies and rain so I thought I would update my blog and let u know what we have been doing of late.
The GOOD NEWS is commercial striped bass season is over and there are actually some bass left to be taken. We have had some banner trips the past week with alot of smiles and memories to last a lifetime. The tuna fishing is starting to pick up. There are alot of tuna around but they have been finicky to eat and school up bait and crash on it. The bait they seem to be on in mini butterfishfish or herring the size of your fingernail. Hard to duplicate and this weeks tides do not help. The good news is I am wide open when the moon kicks in and the tides get more to the tunas liking. We are hoping for a banner fall and just pray the weather holds......
The new boat has been good to me this season with no major mishaps other than a couple of broken t-top welds early on. Most of my customers love the new ride and the SIMRAD electronics are truly rad and help us zero in on fish in tough conditions....Soon I will have tunes and Sirius weather hooked up....One truly slick ride it is becoming.....
Till next tide......

J

Last week in July

For the most part, it was a successful week fishing. We had some insane action and luckily we were in the right place at the right time. We made some big moves late in the week and it paid off. These fish were much harder to get on and on spike mackeral which made them picky at least to our offerings...Whale shows were sick and it is so great to see your customers appreciate mother nature in this regard and not just look at a trip as *meat on the deck*
Fishing this time of year during commercial bass season can be taxing and if your fishing anywhere near where the commercial fleet is you can plan on launching at 3am to get a parking spot.
I work hard at staying away from the fleet to give my customers a unique more relaxed trip. Most times it pays off, sometimes it doesn't but when they ask u for more dates at the end of the day u feel u must be doing something right.....
I have been mixng up bass and tuna trips and must say It screws with the brain going back and forth....U need to get on a vibe and stay there. Unpacking and repacking the boat with bass/tuna gear gets tiresome...U lose your vibe and get in a funk!...hah....
I have really been digging the new SIMRAD NSE electronics on my sled. The echo sounder graphics are sick and I am picking up birds on the 4kw radar with ease.
Anyhoo...here are a few pics from the last week....Supposed to be getting valve adjustment today but mechanic is AWOL....Looking forward to 2morrows tuna trip....I hope they can cast...

More bass and tuna

Commercial bass season started off with a BANG and it has been a bit tough to get my guys quality fish away from where all the commercial boats are fishing. Fortunately we have had some great fishing away from the floatilla of boats trying to make a buck. We have also had some great tuna action and went 1 for 4 yesterday.
The CTS 80-100 prototype rod worked phenomenally well on the tuna and look forward to trying some new blanks they put out.
Got a full week booked coming up but still have plenty of openings in Aug and Sept and Oct if your itching to get out....

July Update

Sorry it has been a month since I last updated the blog. It has been a very busy season to date with very few days off. I was flat out from May 28th to July4th. A few days off after that to do so much needed maintenance on the boat and truck and am now flat out again busy for the month of July. August has alot of openings so do not think I am too busy to fit you into my schedule.
Bass fishing has been fairly strong, even at the end of the first week of commercial bass fishing we were able to put some very nice fish in the boat the last week.
Tuna fishing has been up and down. I have some tuna trips coming up this week and look forward to getting a fish or two in the boat. It's a different fishery from years past but if your willing to put in the time and effort and go to Vegas and gamble it can be a catch of a lifetime on light tackle.
Recently I went sharking south of the vineyard for grins and giggles.....We had alot of fun on blue sharks to 300lbs and one mako around 100lbs. I was using fairly light tackle for them and we could still muscle them to the boat in fairly short order. For years I have been wanting to throw a chum fly at these critters and maybe we will do that in August when the bassing and tuna start to slow. If you would like to try it or just fish for them the conventional way with baits and ballons on light tackle or standup, give me a shout and we will plan an outing......
Till next time..............

Cold Front Bass

A cold front moved in last week and put a serious stop to some phenomenal bass action we have been having in some specific areas. On the other hand, it seemed to turn on in other areas which kept our lines tight and customers smiling.
After a week of N/NE/NW wind, it switches around today to the SW....Hopefully it is going to light things up like a christmas tree...

Bassing remains incredible...

Huge feeds on herring....a few tuna blowing up in the mix.....

EPIC

Had the boys from the UK onboard today....I really enjoy fishing with these guys. Polite, funny and easy to please........Mike, Ryan, Jamie and Jim....Hope to see you guys again next year!!

Hot bass action continues....

Plus the nasty seas broke my t top....ugggh...out of commission hopefully for only one day....

EPIC bass fishing today.....

Had long time repeat customer Sam Gotoff and his son David today. Sam has never wimped out on the forcast and today it was wicked rough but the bass were on top and we basically had them to ourselves....

10-25lb bass on topwater and fly

all day long.....Back at it in the am...

Great first trip in the new boat

Today I had my first charter in the new boat. Unfortunately it was pea soup fog the whole day but we found the life with the new radar, even tho I need to learn to tune it better. Topwater all day long with Got Stryper and RONZ baits. A few on fly as well. Most fish between 15 and 20lbs with a few around 25lbs....I took all the pics on my cellphone and loaded up to Facebook. I will pull out the good camera tomorrow!

Splashed!

The Marina Cleone did her maiden shakedown voyage this morning....All systems were working flawless. I am taking the SIMRAD rep out on Friday then it's D-Day come monday for 37 straight days!!........

The Bass arrive!

The bass have arrived in force on the Cape. Some quality fish being caught with no crowds to speak of.
Looks like the Carla Noelle has been SOLD. I took it out today with the new owner for a sea trial and all systems worked well. I will really miss her. She has been a phenomenal boat for me and hope she continues to be a phenomenal boat for the new owner.
The new boat is close to being finished. Kinda sucks im not finished now and harrassing fish but the electronics install has been quite a job and some of the parts didnt come in until recently. We will be good by the end of the month ready to tango with the stripes!!
Stay tuned!!

Spring Cod and Haddock

Some buds of mine and myself went up to Gloucester and fished with Capt. Bruce Sweet of Sweet Dream Sportfishing this past Friday. We are making this an annual event, and as usual, Capt. Bruce put us on piles of groundfish. STINGO jigs were very well, and in short order, we filled our boxes of cod and haddock with a few pollack thrown in.
Back on the homefront, I am working diligently on the new boat and it is all coming together. RADAR install gets finished up today....
Some birdie pics from the groundfish trip!!...We will be fishing full out within a month!!

Carla Noelle for Sale

Sad to see her go...She has been a phenomenal boat for us. I spent the last two days getting her ready to sell. She fired right up.....
For anyone interested,
1993 Speedcraft Hull
2007 Suzuki 300HP 4stroke...3 years left on warranty
Custom Hardtop and curtains
Custom rod racks
Garmin 4212 12inch chartplotter
Garmin 4kw HD Radar
Furuno 600 color sounder
She is bad to the bone....

$28,500 OBO

Christmas in April

The past month has been a very productive month for me in regards to my fishing buisness. It has been incredible no less. The Pro Staff deal with SIMRAD is going to take my buisness to the next level.
UPS showed up today and dropped off a half dozen boxes of goodies with SIMRAD labels on them. I got them in the garage and started to methodically open each one and stood in amazement at the fit and finish of each piece that arrived. With the curtains being finished two days ago, I felt it was the perfect time to take the cover off the boat. She looks purdy with the new curtains installed and I stood there and envisioned her decked out with her SIMRAD goodies and day dreamed into June.....Ahh yes, it won't be long!!!
Many other Pro Staff deals have developed due to this association. In all relates to a better package for YOU the customer.
Stay tuned as I take pictures of the install of this new equipment!

2011 Fishing Forecast......

Hi folks, Just a heads up on my predictions for the 2011 season. As many of you know, they are having one of their best years ever on bluefin tuna down off N.C. These are the fish we see up here in June-August. I predict we are going to have the same action they are having. I'm very excited to be fishing the new boat for tuna this year. There will be no shortcomings in any department. From the fully bolstered cockpit, tuna door, state of the art electronics and tackle, we will have all the bases covered. I am spending alot of time looking at tackle options for tuna right now and will have a full arsenal of high quality stuff that will put the hurt on these fish. I hope you can make the effort to get out with me this season. We have fought many battles to keep this fishery open. Whether your looking for jigging and popping big bluefin or thinking about setting a world record bluefin on the fly, this is the season to do it....;)

J

Curtains!

I had Chatham Canvas stitch the curtains for the new ride....Cliff showed up today and under cover in the rain we installed the new panels and drilled, punched and crimped the new snaps in where they were needed. I am pretty impressed with his workmanship and am glad I chose him to do the job. The boat will have gull wings that can zip on and off for those nasty trips in quartering seas. It will help keep us dry and block the cold late spring, fall air and make our runs much more enjoyable.
As I stated earlier, I am the newest member of the SIMRAD Pro Staff and products will shortly be arriving in the mail. I am anxious and exicited to start installing the equipment. The stuff is really going to set us apart from the normal trailerable center console!
What else, I have been researching rod blanks to build some new tuna sticks on. I have not finalized my choice yet but should shortly.
I have also decided to trade in my trailer and purchase a new one. There are some issues with the current trailer and I really cannot afford to be dealing with trailer issues this season with the new boat.
It's taking some serious $$ and effort to get this girl where she needs to be but I think my customers are really gonna lover her....;)

J

Waaaaay Back........

8-9 years ago....Sometime when fishing for tuna wasn't so technical and specific we used to play around with new ideas to take these fish more consitently on fly equipment. Now nothing is better than rolling up on a frothing school of bft in the middle of nowhere with a heavy wt flyrod in hand....I have seen it make the most worldly traveled angler weak in the knees. So weak where I would always say..."just think of them as goldfish and reeeeeelaaaaax"
But the truth is, alot of fly guys who wanted a bluefin on the fly just did not have the expertise to seal the deal.
Trolling for bluefin was and is really popular and effective for bluefin. I can remember a certain day way way way east of Chatham where Riptide, Double Happiness and myself buddy boated out and all 3 boats landed and released over 30 bft per boat. Now these fish were small and even on 30 class gear were outmatched.
The idea of bait and switch for these fish had been on my mind for awhile...So what I did was take two 13" squid bars and take the stinger hook off and replace with a 3 ounce egg sinker....We deployed two of these bars *flatline* off the stern, one on each corner. The flyrod was rigged with either one of these green machine flies or a HUGE pink and white popper similar to what is used for sailfish. Sixty feet of flyline was stripped into a 6 gallon bucket and the rod was rested in the bucket and the fly hooked onto the lip....
We would troll around until a school came up behind the bars. When the fish were small, they would stay on a shell squid for awhile. Just long enough for the angler to grab the flyrod and lay out a quick cast behind the bar and strip the fly violently next to the stinger. It generally wasn't long until we got hooked up. We only reeled the bars in after we got hooked up...This was a great way to get bft on the fly when they were not crashing in big schools and staying up....I have not used this technique in many years but I was just down cleaning my man cave and came about these flies and started dreaming back of days gone by.....Just another chapter in the incredible bft fishery that we have here on the Cape. One I hope we continue to have down the road. It would be great if 10 years from now we are talking and writing about how *remember when we almost lost the right to fish for bluefin tuna*.......I hope so...

Whoa Nelly!

I am extremely pleased to announce that I am the newest member of the Navico SIMRAD Pro Staff. It was a month in the making but I was cleared today and will be sporting all new SIMRAD NSE model electronics on the new boat! We have some exciting new things to look forward to this year!!!

Early season striper trips

For a limited time, I am offering striper trips the last half of May at a reduced rate. The reduced rate will be $550 for a full day. The normal full day rate is $700.00. Please contact me for further info.

Thanks!

Monday...3/28....Captains Log.....

Good morning blog fans. It was a productive weekend. I finally plumbed my outdoor shower and all I'm waiting on is for the temps to stay above freezing to turn it on. I did a couple much needed dump runs and took my daughter to see Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory at the Orleans Playhouse.
As I sit down this morning to get to work on many fishing buisness related projects, my mind drifts forward a couple months to when the striped bass arrive in droves. For some reason, I have never booked many trips these last two weeks of May. Sometimes the week leading up to Memorial Day weekend can be some of the best striped bass fishing of the year! Come June 1st I am flat out booked for the whole month, in fact I only have ONE date open as of this writing, the 5th. I would really like to be doing some trips the last week of May to throw me into June. If you wanted to go striped bass fishing in June and I was already booked, then I highly suggest you look at the last week of May.
Lots of interest in tuna fishing the past few years. We were one of the pioneers in perfecting tackle and techniques in the school bluefin tuna fishery craze that started over 10 years ago off Cape Cod. Back then, you could count the number of guides on one hand who were good at finding these fish and getting you hooked up. Today there are dozens of guides who advertise for school bluefin tuna trips. Before making your decision on who to book, find out how long the captain has been fishing for school bluefin tuna, the equipment they carry, and their success rate. Are they local or are they from some distant state trailering up to only capitalize on the success of the local captains who have etched this fishery into what it is?
I'm fairly passionate about this fishery as you can see.
As far as tackle goes, bluefin tuna tackle is state of the art. It is simply amazing the size of fish we can whip on light tackle *spinning rods*. The power and lightness of today's top of the line rods is incredible. Reels with the ability to sustain 30lbs of consistent drag and hold up and superlines so thin and strong you are able to put 4-500 yards on a reel.
We carry it all on our boat and know that the success of any captain today with the caliber of fish that we have is directly related to his experience AND the equipment he carries.
Well blog fans, my coffee cup is empty and my email light is flashing. I must get back to the other tasks at hand into putting this business in the water come May!!...
Till next tide....;)

Video

I really need to start taking more video on the boat. No excuses, just gotta start doing it. I have a slick Sony HD Cam but have struggled with the downloading and editing software compatibility.
So with that, I rarely took it out of its case last season.
The new GoPro video cameras have been getting rave reviews so i got one an am looking forward to using it this season. Take a look at this test vid I did the other day.....It is strapped to my chest while laying out some flyline in the street. Now envision this strapped on YOUR chest and filming the topwater action in front of you....Yeah!...pretty slick!!...Now if I can just figure out how to splice it with the sony video and edit it all, we will have some really cool stuff!!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fkwFZZuCTVQ&feature=player_embedded

New Site

I spent the last week building a new website for www.finaddiction.com . As you know it is my charters buisness website. I felt it was time to refresh the old site especially since I lost access to it when my last pc got riddled with viruses.
So here it is...I am pretty happy with it....How would today's design folks call it? "very contemporary and edgy". haha...
I am also excited that we are about to close on an electronics deal for the new boat. I really don't wan't to say anything until it is etched in stone so stay tuned!!
Curtains are still being worked on....Cover should come off the boat soon and I can start getting some of the real work done...
As far as bookings go, June is full except for just a couple days....I have no intention of pushing those days but if you do want to go in June then I will take you if I have any openings left. But don't despair!, July is a hot month for stripers and the bluefin are generally eating pretty good till mid month. So get on the horn and make a shout out to me and let's work out some dates for you or your party...
Fin Addiction Charters

A word about SPONSORS

I wanted to take 5 minutes this morning and talk about sponsors. Without sponsors, my buisness would not be able to operate. These buisnesses are the glue behind Fin Addiction Charters. Without them, it would be hard to maintain our level of quality. They keep my tackle boxes full, my reels filled with fresh line, my rod racks gleaming with fine jewelry, my boat safely navigating through the ugliest weather.
I'm in the process of getting a few new sponsors for this season and wanted to stop and say *thanks* to all who have supported me and who keep my operation running.

THE GOOSE HUMMOCK SHOP
SHIMANO
SIMRAD
RONZ
OCEAN LURES
GOT STRYPER BAITS
SALTYWATERTACKLE
GIBBS
STINGO FISH
CORTLAND LINE
STREAMLINED LEADERS
MUD DOG FLIES
RIO
SAGE
HATCH
PURE FISHING
FARBANKPROS

Rolling into Spring.......

It's that time of year where the sun is a bit higher in the sky, the days are a little brighter and attention gets focused on getting the new boat ready for another great fishing season.
Chatham Canvas is now stitching the 5 piece curtains. I worked for 2 days undercover with owner Cliff mocking up the patterns and installing the permanent rails.
Electronics choice has some exciting possibilities. I'm being quiet until I know the final outcome, but I do expect to see the boat fully equipped with the latest state of the art electronic goodies.
I'm building a new finaddiction.com website and I predict I will be able to launch it within a few weeks at the latest. It will center around all the great pictures we have taken the past couple years and have a clean, new professional look.
Once I start the electronics install I will post pictures of my progress......

Jeff

Happy New Year!!

Hello and Happy New Year to all my blog readers. It was a great year for Fin Addiction Charters. Our buisness continues to grow even during some pretty hard economic times. As you know, I will be running a new boat in 2011. I will be able to easily take parties of 4 tuna fishing which will make it very economical to book a trip.
A new website is on the drawing board. I would be willing to trade a fishing trip or two for a web developer that knows what they are doing. If you have these skills and are interested then please contact me!!
Goodbye 2010 and hello 2011!!!

Till next tide...