The Benmar Fishing Report

The rain finally let up and Capt. George got out on the water today with an interesting group that flew in from Singapore!  Rita, Ed, Christine and Aaron were excellent anglers and made the most of their opportunities….coming back to the dock with 5 nice keeper bass from 29 to 34 inches.  The season is off to a good start!  Take advantage of the lower price in May (just $500 per group) and get out there for some early season stripers.  Sunday, May 29th is still open if you want to do something special during memorial day weekend! Capt. George’s cell phone is 413-374-4199.

Getting Benmar ready for 2011, beginning with anuual maintenance and preparations this week. Early trips this year will be booked at 2010 prices… So, get an early trip in and save!!!

We will be getting things ready and expect to be in the water by the end of April at the latest. We will be checking all the critical system and safety equipment and will be ready for you.

Stay tuned for status updates and fishing reports…

Capt. George Rettew &
The Benmar Crew

Who would have thought that you could be fishing off the CT coast in your shirtsleeves at this time of year!  Saturday was one gorgeous late fall day out on the water with temps in the 60’s and practically no wind.  The fishing was, for most people, somewhat disappointing .  There were quite a few boats out there and not a lot of fish being caught.  However, Capt. George worked the area expertly and his bunch of anglers were able to take home their limits of nice-sized blackfish.  It was a fitting end to a great season with many exciting charters and lasting memories for our anglers, captain and crew!  A big THANKS!!! to all of the great folks who came out on the BENMAR this season.  We hope to see you next year!!

Saturday’s trip was a challenge due to breezy conditions and dirty water in many areas.  It took a lot of hunting around but Capt. George finally found the fish and tacked on some extra time so the guys could limit out.  The bigger blackfish have now moved in and some real beauties up to 12 pounds have been brought aboard the BENMAR recently. 

Small craft warnings kept the BENMAR at the dock this past weekend but today the weather, although a bit nippy, was good enough to get back out there and the fishing  was excellent.  Blackfish up to 10 pounds and everyone caught  their limits.  The water is still pretty warm for this time of year and there are a lot of fish around so Capt. George will go a couple more weeks before putting the boat away for the winter.  Give him a call at 413-374-4199 if you would like to get in on this late season bonanza!

Fishing remained on the slow side but with signs of picking up.  Lots of smaller fish were being caught with a few bigger ones mixed in.  Today we kept about 10 nice blackfish and one big sea bass.  It was very pleasant out on the water and we had some BENMAR regulars that provided a lot of entertaining banter throughout the day!

As we have mentioned before, we give you reports on every trip even when the fishing isn’t so hot and today was one of those trips.  We tried multiple locations and caught a blackfish here and there but it seemed that there were no concentrations of fish anywhere and we couldn’t quite ”get them going”.  On the plus side, we had a terrific group on board including two young guys, Sean and Randy, who fished hard and never gave up.  They did each get a keeper and, in fact, Randy was high hook for the boat with 3 keepers and a few porgies.   Capt. George will extend a special deal to these anglers when they book their striper trip next May and we can’t wait to have them on board for a banner day!  Tomorrow is another charter so we will see if mother Nature cooperates and the fish gods are a bit less stingy than they were today.

Of course, the boat stayed at the dock throughout the weekend due to the extra windy conditions but today was beautiful out there and the fishing matched the weather!  A great group from up Agawam way bid on a benefit trip and were rewarded with a very nice catch of blackfish up to 9 pounds with many over 5 pounds.  Capt. George never had to move the boat because the bite was steady and the fish were quality specimens!  Still some dates left including a weekend day or two.  Call the Captain at 413-374-4199.

Fred and friends from Poughkeepsie NY who are regulars on the BENMAR came down for some blackfishing out near Ram Island reef.  They did quite well with 18 keepers up to 5 pounds and about 40 throwbacks.  There were a couple of bluefish cut offs and of course numerous porgies so the action was constant.  They went through a 5 gallon bucket of crabs so you know the bite was ON!! 

The last couple of days provided typical fall fishing with blues, stripers, blackfish and porgies all biting at various times.  The porgy season is now over but the other species are providing plenty of action.  We plan to keep going at least through the end of October.  The waters are a little warmer than usual for this time of year which will help keep the fish active!

This weekend started off slowly due to high winds and fast tides.Friday was pretty much a blow-out and Capt. George will have to make it up to the group of anglers who didn’t catch much but had fun and maintained a good attitude throughout the day.  Saturday, the bite improved somewhat and some big blues were caught to give our anglers a tug on their lines.  Today, the weather improved and so did the fishing with 6 big blues and 4 stripers up to 40 inches decked.  There were also several dozen large porgies added to the cooler so our anglers were busy hauling in fish the whole day through.  We didn’t spend much time blackfishing but they are out there and ready to provide some exciting action.

The BENMAR stayed at the dock today due to rainy weather but Capt. George’s buddy, Capt. John took a ride in a friend’s boat around Ram Island to look in a few places to see if blackfish were showing on the fishfinder.  Sure enough there were fish in several rocky areas close to shore.  Of course after seeing the fish, the anchor went down, and Capt. John and friend proceeded to limit out with some beauties up to 8 pounds in just a couple of hours.  Was it rainy??? Was it windy??? Yes on both counts but the fishing was great and it was well worth enduring the elements.  That is what blackfish season is all about….don’t expect delightful weather….but do expect to catch some tackle-testing toothy critters that provide great action and just delicious table fare.   We are lucky to have this fall bonanza.  Call Capt. George to get out there and enjoy!

Well, this past weekend was a little too windy to take out customers but Capt. George took the BENMAR out to check out potential blackfish hotspots.  Despite the windy conditions Capt. George and mate Allan checked several spots and found blackfish on all of them….of course, putting their limits into the cooler for the delectable fish dinners they will provide.  So the fish are out there!  Call Capt. George at 413-374-4199 for an unforgettable blackfish outting…..everybody fishes and everybody catches!

The BENMAR made its first trip for blackfish today and the three anglers aboard caught over 60 tog.  Though the action was red hot, they didn’t quite limit out on fish over the minimum size limit.  There were also big porgies mixed in so the “take home” factor was quite good. 

October brings some of the best fishing along the CT coast and one of our favorite quarries is the Tautog (commonly known as blackfish) .  These toothy critters are exciting to catch on light tackle with some rod-busting individuals ranging to 15 pounds or more.  Most of the fish are 3 to 5 pounds.  They hit green crabs with abandon and really give the angler a great fight.  Most importantly, they are similar to grouper in consistency and taste plus they freeze exceptionally well.  Call Capt. George for a date.  In fact, due to a late cancellation Saturday October 2nd is open, so if you can put a trip together on short notice he’ll give you a deal. 

The weekend trips were a challenge due to brezzy conditions and strong tides.  Our anglers on each day really hung in there and fished hard but unfortunately only the bluefish cooperated to any extent.  A few bass were caught but they were on the small side.  A side catch of porgies was there to be had as usual.  For the last few days it seems that there has not been a lot of bait fish around to hold concentrations of gamefish thus it has been a “hunt and peck” type of fishing effort.  Thankfully, there have been some “bruiser” bluefish around to bend the poles and give our anglers some great fights including nice aerial displays!

Lots of action today out on sugar reef.  The rods were constantly bending mostly with bluefish up to 15 pounds.  There were also several short bass caught as well as the usual bunch of porgies. 

Well, Mark from Queens did it again with another giant day catching porgies and bass.  He has the knack….that’s for sure.  Fall starts tomorrow and the BENMAR can’t wait to get out there for what some people think is THE season to go fishing!  Bass, blues, jumbo porgies and now add blackfish to the list…..it is time to enjoy the ocean and take home some great fillets for the freezer!

We had a nice family group from Milford out today.  We tried fishing out Watch Hill way and it started out promising with a big blue and several throwback bass but then things just kind of shut down and we were limited by strong currents generated by hurricane Igor.  So we went back “inside” to be in protected waters and did a little better with a few more blues and a number of striped bass with a couple keepers to 33 inches.  There were, of course, a good batch of porgies that got on the hooks from time to time.  So in the end, it wasn’t a great day but not a bad day…..just a day of fishing with decent weather and good company aboard the BENMAR.  October is right around the corner and that means Capt. George will be running his Blackfish special!  Of course, bass and blues will still be running as well so call for a date @413-374-4199.

A nice group of four came down from the Berkshires and did a good job fishing through some breezy weather today.  The wind limited Capt. George to fishing the inshore waters but he did find some fish here and there so that the group had about 60 porgies, 5 blues and a keeper bass to take home for the table.  There were a few throwback bass and of course the usual collection of “almosts”.  These anglers had a good time and look forward to a possible blackfish charter next month. 

Todays charter went right according to plan.  Great weather and cooperative fish.  Just two stops produced a cooler full of fish.  Our anglers were mostly interested in porgies and filled the boat with over a hundred jumbo scup.  While they were porgy fishing they also hauled in 5 large bluefish and three keeper stripers!  September fishing at its finest!!

Capt. George had a nice day out there today with a group that turned out to be from his old neighborhood so they had a lot in common.  They also had quite a good day fishing with lots of action from stripers, blues and porgies.  They hooked numerous fish.  Lost some, caught some and kept 3 nice striper beauties and one large bluefish.  The weather was just great as it often is at this time of the year. 

A rare SATURDAY in September just became available due to a cancellation.  9/18 is open!  This is a prime date that falls between the new and full moons with an outgoing tide starting at about 8:15 so you don’t have to get up at O-dark hundred to get in some awesome striper fishing.  The tide runs at a moderate speed that day so it should be just perfect for chunking on one of our favorite reefs out Watch Hill way.  If I had to guess I would predict GREAT striper fishing that day with blues and possibly bonita mixing in.  As I write this, there are several Sundays also available and of course the weekdays where Capt. George gives you a great trip at the reduced price of $500.  This is the best time of the year to go fishing.  Give Capt. George a call to set up a trip!  413-374-4199

Fortunately, Hurricane Earl went by without damaging anything in our neck of the woods.   It left us with a bunch of wind and some dirty water but Capt. George found some decent places to fish and came home with 5 blues, 2 keeper stripers, and 19 porgies.  There were also about a half dozen throwback stripers so the day was pretty active.  There are plenty of open dates this month which many anglers feel is the best time of the year for fishing our local waters.  Don’t let the summer go by without a great day on the BENMAR and a chance to catch a real trophy!  Call 413-374-4199.

Fishing ahead of the storm, our group of anglers got into them today and had a great time reeling in stripers, blues and porgies.  Plenty of keepers for the cooler and a great day all around.  Now we batten down the hatches for Hurricane Earl!

Saturday’s trip was just so-so but Sunday, the fish were back in force and the group had non-stop action and no trouble limiting out on stripers.  Of course there were blues and porgies in the mix as well.  A banner day!!

We had a great family out on the boat today….kids, parents and grandparents.  We tried to go fluking down Misquamicut way but the left over wind from the recently departed nor-easter built the waves up to the uncomfortable point.  We thus headed back over towards Fishers Island to quieter water and set up for some reef fishing.  A number of bass, porgies and one giant bluefish were caught with everyone getting in on the action.  Most of the bass were just short of minimum size but our anglers kept trying and were rewarded with a keeper to take home for dinner.  The kids gave Capt. George a break by driving the boat most of the way back to port.

My first Striper! The group from Poughkeepsie had a great day on the Sound on July 26 and returned August 19th for another trip. Not an uncommon occurrance on the Benmar!

How things can change in less than 24 hours.  Fishing last evening was fantastic but today was tough!  Fish were caught and the folks were great but we didn’t come home with our usual cooler-full.  

A late day charter for a party of three turned out to be a great outting.  Bass were biting very well and everyone caught numerous fish.  The action was enhanced by a nice mix of Blues and Porgies.