Types of Fishing Trips

Below is an outline of the type of trips I offer. They can be modified or combined to suit your needs. I always carry the equipment necessary for all types of trips on board. Only the quantity and type of bait and/or chum could limit the types of fishing done in one day.    

Early Season Fishing - Mackerel and Tautog

The Lemke-Ann usually launches in mid-April. However, it takes a couple of weeks to be outfitted and make some test runs. Generally, I do not begin making trips until mid-May.

Early season fishing and weather on Cape Cod can be quite variable and water temperatures are impacted by the severity of the prior winter. If you are interested in trying an early season trip, instead of booking a specific day, please call me directly and I will schedule a trip with you when I know the fish are in.

Mackerel Fishing
A member of the tuna family, these small but hard-fighting fish school up in large numbers around the east end of the Cape Cod Canal. The run usually takes place in mid-May and lasts for a couple of weeks, usually until Memorial Day. Leaving from Red Brook Harbor, a Mackerel trip begins with a scenic run up the Cape Cod Canal, passing under the Bourne and Sagamore Bridges, to Cape Cod Bay. To set-up, I put out a chum slick, drawing the mackerel to the boat. The fishing consists of jigging with diamond jigs on light spinning tackle. Once the school moves in, the action can be incredible. Two to three hundred pound catches are average. I take personal trips to fill my freezers and use the mackerel for bait and chum throughout the season. Cooked fresh, the mackerel are also good to eat. A mackerel fishing trip aboard the Lemke-Ann was featured on a segment of On the Water Magazine's "Fishing New England" television series.

Tautog Fishing
Tautog or Blackfish are members of the Wrasse family. They can weigh-in from two to ten pounds. Hard fighting and excellent eating, they are a popular early and late-season fish. Precise anchoring over structure is a must to catch these fish. Green crabs cut in half are my favorite bait. A slight tap of a Tautog crushing your crab with its molar-like teeth is all you will feel until you set the hook. Then, hang-on and reel with all your might to keep the fish from diving back into its cave and severing your line. Mid to late October is peak season for Tautog, but there is also an early season run which lasts from early May into June. A late October Tautog trip was also featured on the "Fishing New England" show.

June - Drift Fishing for Sea Bass and Scup

A couple of seasons ago, my friends and I were drifting the Mashnee Flats trying for some early season Fluke. Having no luck on the flats, we drifted off into deeper water by Wing's Neck. As the bottom began to drop, we all hooked up large Sea Bass. Repeating this drift, we soon had a cooler full of these fish. Since then, using this method, I've consistently boated large catches of two- to five- pound Sea Bass along with large, dinner plate size, scup. This area is only ten minutes from my dock and Sea Bass are among the best-eating fish available in this area. I often suggest this trip for my clients who want to take kids fishing, as there is a lot of action and it's a short run to the fish.

A beautiful June day fishing for Sea Bass and Scup, with Jay Baver and Chris Megan of On the Water Magazine, became one of the most popular segments of their television series last year.

Bottom Fishing Trips

                Primary fish targeted: Scup, Seabass, and Tautog    

This trip is a favorite for families with children, novice fisherman, or anyone who wants an easy, stress-free day, and lots of great tasting fillets to bring home. Generally, for these trips, we sail just thirty minutes from the dock in the relatively sheltered waters of Buzzards Bay.  We anchor on one of the many rock piles or ledges and drop weighted rigs baited with squid or clam strips.  Although the fish are not large, the action is fast and constant (a must with young children!).  Because my gear is light and the water depth is rarely over 30 feet, even a small scup can put a good bend in the rod.

Drift Fishing Trips

                Primary fish targeted: Fluke (a.k.a. Summer Flounder)    

Early in the season (May/June), I have taken some fine hauls of Fluke from the Mashnee Flats which is just a short distance from our docks.  When summer approaches, consistent Fluke fishing requires a run through historic Woods Hole to one of Vineyard Sound’s famous (to locals) fishing sand bars - Middle Ground or Lucas Shoal.  The trip involves a one hour sail, but is well-worth the extra time: limit catches on most days, yielding large bags of the best-tasting fish you could ever hope to eat.  

Fluke fishing is done by drifting my custom-made rigs with a strip of bait over sand bars in 20 to 50 feet of water.  Although a little more challenging technique is required for Fluke fishing than Bottom fishing, it is still fairly easy:  the action is usually fast and the fish tend to be larger.  Also, it is not uncommon for a Striper or Bluefish to grab my fluke rig.   

Chunking Trips

                Primary Fish Targeted: Bass, Bluefish and Bonito         

Chunking trips involve a one to one and a half hour sail to one of my favorite spots around Martha’s Vineyard.  While this technique is more challenging than that of bottom fishing and fluking, this method has produced some historic trips of one hard-fighting fish after another.  Chunking trips involve anchoring uptide from structure and free-lining pieces of bait on circle hooks in a chum slick consisting of ground frozen chum and free-floating pieces of chopped fish (my own special concoction).  Once the fish find my slick, the action is usually non-stop.  From mid-July to mid-October, an added bonus is that there is a good chance of catching all three species on one trip - a “Northeast Grand Slam”!

Casting Trips

                Primary Fish Targeted:  Blues, Bass, Bonito, and False Albacore                 

Casting into fish can be the primary focus of the excursion, or may be done at any opportunity in combination with any of my other types of trips.   I always have casting gear ready when a flock of terns diving on bait are spotted.  I motor upwind of the diving birds, shut down the motor, and drift back into the feeding school of fish.   Metal lures or surface poppers are cast into the frenzy, producing exciting surface strikes, often with multiple hook-ups.  This method has produced some incredible days on the water or may provide a change of pace on one of my bottom fishing or drift fishing trips.  

For safety reasons, only two or three people can cast at one time.  Some knowledge of casting a spinning rod is required.

Trolling Trips

                Primary Fish Targeted:  Bass, Blues, Bonito 

Trolling trips consist of dragging lines with lures behind a moving boat.  Although it is the preferred method of many Charter Captains, it is not my favorite method of fishing.  However, I am not above any method of fishing that lands fish in the boat and  I always carry trolling rigs in the event of a customer request or in the (rare) event other methods fail.  

For Reservations, call us at (508) 477-0543