Weweantic Report 05-17-08

[masspi]

Nothing good to report today, I ran a test pot for a couple of days and got nothing.  Water temperature about 54 degrees.  Air temperature about 72 degrees.  Must have been wishful thinking on my part.

Most likely about June 1st. the action should start.  I have seen no crabbing activity on the river yet, just some early birds fishing from the banks.  The schoolie striper's are back as I had a dead one wash up on my beach today.  The gulls had a free lunch.

Anyone else do any test pots yet ??

[tattoo]

They will be there soon. as long as the temps stay warm. 

[robc22]

I just finished checking my lobster traps. I fish the E. end of the canal.10 lobsters total- 4 keepers, 4 eggers and 2 shorts. Very slow fishing. It use to be very good this time of year, when the river herring were running. The last 2 years the lobstering has been slow in may.
The water temp. at the east end is only 49 degrees. Yet guys are catching stripers and pogies have been around my boat moored in west side of buzzards bay for the past 3 weeks !
A friend went seabassing today at cleveland's and only caught 3 fish all morning ! They should be thick as heck right now.
I'm not going to bother with crab pots for a few more weeks. I fish back river and eel pond in bourne and do pretty good, but I try not to fish it too hard. I do 3 or 4 crab fests a summer. I put the gear in, catch what I need and then pull the gear untill the next time the urge strikes.
Are you seeing pogies in the weweantic ?

[masspi]

Same with me for Lobster, it has almost not been worth it the last couple of years.  With missing gear, etc. it is getting pretty expensive.  Last year this time, it was not unusual to have a bunch of pogies in every crab trap I pulled.  Some half dead from crab bites. I think they are in the river, but I have not seen anything myself.  With temperatures only expected in the high 50's to mid 60's for the next week with lots of clouds, the warm-up of the water is still a bit away.

Good luck and keep posting...............bet those 4 keepers tasted good

[robc22]

Gave the keeper lobsters to my mother, she said they were good!
By the way, My boat is moored on the east side of b.bay ,not the west. Sorry!
The water is so cold its slowing everything up. its very frustrating!
I'm heading down to my boat now. It's a 20 ft William's flat bottom skiff and I'm sure its full of rain water.
As  I type this the wind is WSW 20 -30 with gusts to 40 mph.
It will be a roll a coaster ride just to get to my mooring. I don't have a pump in the boat so I will run the boat to get the rain water out thru the drain plug hole.
As an old time skiff fisherman I pray for flat seas and catching fish in a barrel!
Thanks for the reply!
good luck!

[jack1747]

welcome to the BCA Rob.  Man I couldnt sleep without a good pump on duty...    This cold weather hanging around is really getting old.  I can't imagine being that far north.. 

[SHELLFISH]

Lobstering has been slow here in CT also. Last year I caught half of what I got in 2006!
I checked y four pots the other day and had one legal and one short.
Up to six pots now and two more ready to go in.
The outlook for this year here is dismal; worse than last year.
If it gets worse I'm pulling the pots out.
The local market has them on sale right now (from Cananda) for $6.99 pound.
I can't catch them for that little!

[jack1747]

Lobstering has been slow here in CT also. Last year I caught half of what I got in 2006!
I checked y four pots the other day and had one legal and one short.
Up to six pots now and two more ready to go in.
The outlook for this year here is dismal; worse than last year.
If it gets worse I'm pulling the pots out.
The local market has them on sale right now (from Cananda) for $6.99 pound.
I can't catch them for that little!

Sorry to hear that.  We got the same thing here with Blue Crab..  I can buy them cheaper, buts its the hunt that keeps me out there.   

[masspi]

I am expecting a dismal year for Lobster.  With competition for Lobster very high with low catches, I saw more cut and stolen traps than ever before.  The inshore Lobster commercial guys placing pots where recreational guys normally go only leads to problems.  Shellfish is right, my pots are one short trip away from sitting in my yard.  I hate to loose expensive gear and I don't need the lobster that bad that I would go into competition with the commercial guys.

Crab is another story, I can get all I need at my doorstep.  I can look off my deck and watch my floats bob on the tide.  If it wasn't for one of my son-in-law's obsession for the bugs, I probally wouldn't spend any time at all with Lobstering.

There are no commercial guys doing crab so I have it all to my self for now, but that could change if the Lobster of the South Coast of Massachusetts diminish any more.  The only people getting any yield are the off shore guys like Grant Moore and others that you see on the "Lobster Wars" show on the Discovery Channel.  I see them coming in with impressive catches and see their high flyer's in the Canyons when I go for Tuna or Marlin.

I am a big supporter of the Commercial guys and I will not intrude on their space.  Like Shellfish said, Canadian Lobster..........$6.99 a pound.  It costs me more than that.  I am beginning to think that Lobstering for me is one of the dumb things I do in my old age.  Fun for the feeble minded

Jack1747 is suffering in the Chesapeke and I hope you guys can pull through this Blue Crab drought.  It may take years I think and the problem is certainly not going to be fixed by stopping dredging in Virginia or tossing females back.  The whole issue is bigger than that.

My idea has always been........take what you need for your family or for your annual crab boil and stop taking crab for the sake of doing it.  Help out those people that can only work the rivers edge and always help the beginners.

Have a great week
 

[jack1747]

I am expecting a dismal year for Lobster.  With competition for Lobster very high with low catches, I saw more cut and stolen traps than ever before.  The inshore Lobster commercial guys placing pots where recreational guys normally go only leads to problems.  Shellfish is right, my pots are one short trip away from sitting in my yard.  I hate to loose expensive gear and I don't need the lobster that bad that I would go into competition with the commercial guys.

Crab is another story, I can get all I need at my doorstep.  I can look off my deck and watch my floats bob on the tide.  If it wasn't for one of my son-in-law's obsession for the bugs, I probally wouldn't spend any time at all with Lobstering.

There are no commercial guys doing crab so I have it all to my self for now, but that could change if the Lobster of the South Coast of Massachusetts diminish any more.  The only people getting any yield are the off shore guys like Grant Moore and others that you see on the "Lobster Wars" show on the Discovery Channel.  I see them coming in with impressive catches and see their high flyer's in the Canyons when I go for Tuna or Marlin.

I am a big supporter of the Commercial guys and I will not intrude on their space.  Like Shellfish said, Canadian Lobster..........$6.99 a pound.  It costs me more than that.  I am beginning to think that Lobstering for me is one of the dumb things I do in my old age.  Fun for the feeble minded

Jack1747 is suffering in the Chesapeke and I hope you guys can pull through this Blue Crab drought.  It may take years I think and the problem is certainly not going to be fixed by stopping dredging in Virginia or tossing females back.  The whole issue is bigger than that.

My idea has always been........take what you need for your family or for your annual crab boil and stop taking crab for the sake of doing it.  Help out those people that can only work the rivers edge and always help the beginners.

Have a great week
 

Well said!