The BENMAR will be taking her winter rest up on blocks in the marina yard. Capt. George and his mates wish to thank all the anglers who came out on the boat this year. The fishing was very good and our guests were great to have aboard. Seeing our many repeat customers and meeting new folks is what makes the season so enjoyable. Here’s hoping you have wonderful holidays amidst friends and family.
Capt. George got back out on the water Sunday and found that there were still some nice blackfish around. The group started out by North Hill but it was too crowded where the BENMAR usually fishes. Coming back inside to Middle Clump turned out to be the right thing to do as the group put together a decent outting that included 8 keepers over 16 inches with the biggest going about 20 inches and 8 pounds. The boat will probably be dry-docked just before Turkey day so if the weather looks good give Capt. George (413-374-4199) a call if you want to get out “one last time” before winter!
Tuesday’s trip and todays were both excellent despite it being a bit breezy. Limit catches with some real nice fat blackfish. The pool winner today was a 27 inch 12 pounder!
We made a recon trip Monday and found plenty of blackfish up to 8 pounds on the local reefs. Standing at the dock we noticed several large stripers cruising around in about 6 feet of water. The moderate fall weather has extended the fishing season with warmer than normal water temps. Capt. George is still ready to take you out. Just watch the weather and call when it is going to be a decent day! 413-374-4199
Yesterday’s trip was not good due to the wind which blew hard against the tide and shoved the boat all over the place. Only three keepers were caught after a few hours so the crew called it quits and Capt. George will make it up to this group on a future outting. Today’s weather was great and so was the fishing. A boat limit was quite easily captured with nice blackfish up to 20 inches and some jumbo porgies mixed in for good measure! What a difference a day makes!
Again the weather was spectacular for this time of year but the fishing was only so-so. We went after blackfish and found a quick bite at a variety of locations but then it would just as quickly die out. Our congenial foursome of anglers fished well and put 7 nice keepers in the boat and, frustratingly, two or three big fish broke the line and got away! There were a few other throwbackers but all in all it was hunt and peck and it seemed that there just wern’t any good schools of fish where we were. Word around the docks was that the warm weather got the blackfish “off their feed” as they are generally more active on cool fall days!
Summer like conditions were much appreciated by our anglers aboard the BENMAR today who opted for a reef trip in search of stripers and blues. The fishing wasn’t quite as great as the weather but our group stayed at it and put together a decent day boating about 15 blues and two stripers, the biggest of which measured 35 inches.
A nice mixed bag for our group of anglers today. In a half day they boated about 40 porgies, a dozen blackfish, 8 blues and 2 stripers. There are a lot of fish out there!
Good blackfishing continues. Capt. George went out to the Dumplings today and his three anglers hauled up a limit of nice fat fish up to 8 pounds. There were also a number of porgies mixed in so the action was there for the whole trip. The most recent reef trip showed that there are still some nice bass around as a 40 pounder was decked along with some gorilla blues.
The BENMAR’s first blackfishing trip was a real banger. The boat limited out, everyone caught fish and there was constant action. There were some real nice fish up to 8 pounds or so, about 20 inches. Jay and his buds are taking home a nice load of tasty filets. We call blackfish “northern grouper” because of its bulldog fighting style and, of course, it’s delicious flavor. Capt. George is running a blackfish special for $450 from now till the end of the season in November.
The BENMAR hasn’t got out a lot lately due to weather and the “back to school” drop off but there have been a couple of porgy trips were everyone loaded up on the fiesty little rod benders. Of course the blues are around and the bass are still here. Capt. George is really looking forward to October 1st when the blackfishing season begins. Blackfish, also known as tautog are just a blast to catch and they cannot be beat for delectability at the table! Get in on the great late season fishing! 413-374-4199
BENMAR regulars Leon and Freddie along with another buddy had a very good day out by Watch Hill. They started off waiting for the tide by drifting some porgy baits and put a couple dozen nice ones in the cooler. Capt. George then set them up for some chunking on the reef and both blues and stripers were hitting right and left. The guys kept quite a few blues and 3 bass from 35 to 40 inches. Between the fish and the banter there was never a dull moment thats for sure!
Tremendous non-stop action out on the reefs today. The blues were ravenous and plentiful and the bass hung in there as well. The BENMAR anglers today took home 4 big stripers and about 25 blues that will probably end up in the smoker! A big fat sea bass was a nice surprise at the end of the trip. The fishing hasn’t even begun to slow down, Capt. George has plenty of dates available so give him a call on 413-374-4199!
It takes three elements to have a perfect day on the water: Good weather…..good company….and, of course, good fishing. We were lucky enough to get all three today with calm seas, a great group of guys and gals from up Suffield way and some excellent cooperation from the bass and blues out by the east end of Fishers Island. There were 5 keeper bass up to about 34 inches and as many others that were thrown back. A number of blues and porgies also made their way into the cooler. The season continues to be one of the best in several years so give Capt. George a call to get out there! 413-374-4199
A very nice Labor Day with a nice group on board. The fish were found close to the harbor and everyone got in on the action. As is often the case the Mom caught the biggest fish….a nice striper of 37 inches. Several more keeper bass and a bunch of blues made for a lot of filets to bring home for an end-of-summer fish roast!
The BENMAR got out there today with a nice group that got a make up trip because their last outting didn’t live up to Capt. George’s standards. Today was decent with everyone catching fish and a couple of nice fat stripers and a bunch of blues to take home for dinner. They booked another trip so I guess they were having fun out there!
The BENMAR with Capt. George aboard made it through the storm with no problems. Power did go off at the marina but the freezer needed defrosting anyway! Capt. George got out yesterday for some reef chunking and the fish were voracious! About 20 big blues and four hefty bass were decked during a single tide. So it appears that the storm didn’t alter the fishing patterns to any significant degree. Some Labor day weekend dates still available….call the captain at 413-374-4199.
Before hurricane Irene arrived, Capt. George got out on the fishing grounds for a nice morning charter. In those areas exposed to the open ocean, the swells were 6 to 10 feet but the general weather was fair and the fishing wasn’t bad with several bass and blues landed along with about a dozen dinnerplate porgies! Capt. George is staying on the boat tonight and having a hurricane party! After the storm it is always interesting to venture forth and see the effects on the harbor and nearby seascape. Fishing can also be interesting as big storms sometimes bring in unusual species!
A bit of wind out there made the fishing trip more challenging but the BENMAR anglers managed to bring home the bacon and put a bunch of nice fish in the cooler. There were three keeper bass and one was nearly 40 inches. Blues were biting quite nicely as well.
Good chunking on the reef today with lots of blues and a decent showing of bass. Our anglers kept two large bass and about 8 blues. Another dozen or so fish were released. There were a few slab-sized porgies mixed in as well. The fishing continues to hold up well. Get in on the action by calling Capt. George at 413-374-4199!!
Good fluke action today down off of Misquamicut in about 50 feet. Squid strips with a spearing enticed dozens of the flatties to strike and there were 8 that stretched out to legal size and contribute their tasty filets to the dinner tables of the lucky anglers.
There was a little rain out there today but you know what they say about fish biting well in the rain is often true and today it was definitely so! A nice group of Dads and kids listened well and the results were excellent with 10 keeper bass several throwbacks and of course some blues and porgies mixed in. Yesterdays trip was not quite as productive but there were some youngsters just learning the ropes and we don’t measure those outtings by the number of fish kept although there were some nice fillets at the end of the day for a few tasty dinners. All in all a great weekend and the best news is that the bass are still holding up really well!!
A nice group from Springfield got out early today for one of Capt. George’s 5 hour bass specials. They did well and ended up with 6 keeper bass, 6 big blues and 6 slab-sized porgies. Mackerel chunked out at the Watch Hill reefs was the elixir that brought the fish to bite!
A lot of action today but the bass were few and far between. The chunking rods were picking up blues right and left while a couple guys fished with light tackle over the side and hauled up over 40 porgies. The cooler was bulging! No keeper bass today as the porgies and blues kept beating them to the baits! Capt. George plans an EARLY trip tomorrow morning to see if he can get some large bass before the blues and scup wake up!
Mark from Queens came with a buddy today and did his usual bottom fishing with porgies as the primary target. They got into them pretty good and ended up with a cooler full of nice keepers including some close to 20 inches!They also managed to catch 2 keeper fluke along the way.
A nice family was aboard today and the fish were biting pretty good but sad to say a few big ones got away before coming over the gunwhales. As Capt. George is fond of saying…”you gotta hook em before you can cook em”! Fortunately a few keepers did find their way into the fish box so no one will go hungry!
Another killer day on the reef. No giants, but bass were hitting right and left and the limit was a no-brainer. The occasional nice jumbo sea bass continues to take a bass bait. Of course a few blues mix in but the striper action continues to be THE story of the season!!!
What does OTC stand for? You might say “over the counter” but on the BENMAR it stands for “off the cooler” which means that a fish is longer than the 36 inch measuring tape on top of the cooler. So it is definitely a good thing when Capt. George calls in and says they have gotten several OTC bass lately. Todays trip had a grandpa, son and three grandsons on board and they did a great job reeling in some big fish including a nice OTC bass of about 39 inches. Everyone caught fish and it was another excellent day on the water!
Due to cancellations, the BENMAR is available both Saturday and Sunday 8/6 and 8/7. The striper fishing continues to be the best in years and when you add in the fluke, sea bass, blues and porgies, you can have a lot of rod-bending action during a typical charter. Call Capt. George to get out there this weekend! 413-374-4199
Today was a “make up” charter for a group that ran into some bad weather and a shortened trip last time out. Capt. George was able to find some fish including a 39 inch striper for Helen who is a BENMAR regular. There were also 4 other nice bass keepers, 4 blues and several jumbo porgies to go into the cooler.