Tales from the Outdoors: Deep-sea fishing in Maine and elsewhere

By Bob Chapin

For an interesting and exciting day on the water when the weather is cooperative, nothing beats a deep-sea fishing adventure. Mainers have several choices available to them as we have a robust commercial charter fishing fleet within easy access. Most ‘Head Boat’ fishing, as it is often referred to, is for saltwater species. The attraction for anglers is that it gets you in position to catch species that you normally can’t fish for because it takes a large boat to safely transport you and an intimate knowledge of where the fish are.

The old adage that ’90 percent of the fish are in 20 percent of the water’ is never truer than when you venture offshore. Knowing what is running and where is three quarters of the battle and charter Captains generally know their stuff. They also know what is currently legal in terms of fish species, minimum lengths, and bag limits so they keep their customers legal, or they don’t stay in business very long.

A charter differs from a head boat in that there is usually one payee who covers the charter or 3-4 guys chipping in versus many fishermen paying a flat head fee per person for the days fishing. The size of your pocketbook usually determines what path you take.

I have done individual charters in Sebago Lake and head boat charters out of Perkins Cove in Ogunquit and both were productive and enjoyable. Most of my head boating was done in Chesapeake Bay for strippers and bluefish with an added bonus of ground fish such as Croakers but I have also done head boats out of Florida, California, Thailand, and Korea. The boats ranged in size and accommodated anywhere from 6 to 66 anglers, but procedurally they are very similar.

I can’t speak to the charters out of Portland harbor, because I have never done one, but I have done several out of Ogunquit and I suspect they too are very similar. Each captain runs his boat a little differently, but this is what you can expect on the Bunny Clark, owned by Tim Tower out of Perkins Cove:

Between 6 and 7 a.m. fishermen check in at the boat and pay any outstanding fees including parking for their vehicle while they fish.

At 7 a.m. the captain gives the safety briefing, covers any expected weather, how long it is likely to be before they begin fishing, and invites you to participate in a $5 pool for biggest fish.

At 7:30 a.m. the boat leaves the dock. Late fishermen can expect to be left behind, whatever the reason. The boat heads out into the Atlantic for the next 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 hours depending on how far out on Jefferies Ledge the captain feels he must go to get to good fishing.

Between 9 and 10:30 a.m. you arrive at “the spot” the boat meanders a bit as the captain chases a set of GPS coordinates confirmed by his sonar fish finder. The anchor goes out or you begin a drift that might last for an hour or more depending upon the bite. The mate will come around and equip you with a rod, reel, terminal tackle either a fly, a 16-ounce metal jig, or a hook, and bait.

At the 10:30 a.m. captain’s signal, you all drop your offerings into 120 to 320 feet of water. Much of your fishing time will be spent cranking your line up from the bottom or letting it back down. You can use your own tackle, but your terminal tackle should be close to the weight everyone else is using, if not tangles will soon develop. The captain will tolerate that once, maybe twice, then he will cut your gear off and replace it with his. There is no charge for using his terminal gear but if you lose it, you will owe him $16.

The First Mate will mark your fish as it goes into a central ice box and you will get it back all filleted at the dock for ~$1/fish.

Between 1 and 3 p.m., the captain will announce you are heading back to the dock. Now you can eat your lunch, read a book, converse with other fishermen, or sleep.

Some of the enjoyment of these trips is in the sightseeing. Seabirds are almost always around you, and you may see tuna, porpoises, whales, whale sharks, lobstermen and commercial shipping.

What you are likely to catch: These are all ground fish or bottom feeders, but don’t let that put you off, they all taste great. Cod is under a moratorium at this time so even though you may catch one, it goes back. Expect Hake, Pollock, Halibut (yes, we have some here), some Red Snapper, and Cusk or Burbot. <

Tales from the Outdoors: Cusk at night

By Bob Chapin

Special to The Windham Eagle

Cusk, or Burbot, or Lawyer Fish, or Eel Pout, or Ling Cod or whatever you choose to call it, is an interesting fish.  It looks like a cross between a cod fish and an eel. The head is large with a wide mouth and a single barbel protruding from its lower lip. It doesn’t have scales and the dorsal fin starts in the normal place, runs the length of the spine, stops for a short tail then commences again running along the bottom of the fish up to the vent. They are equally at home in salt or fresh water. They have teeth but they are small allowing you to “lip” them like you would a bass.

Most anglers are not aware the fish lurks below them in most of the waters they fish because they are rarely caught as an incidental or by-catch on normal hooks and bait when fishing for other species preferring to remain low in the water column.

You have probably guessed that you fish for them right on the bottom with a stationary bait at night. In fact, the rule book says dusk to dawn, with your bait on the bottom, read large weight, and the line must be fixed at the reel, meaning the fish should not be able to take line off your spool. You can run off a few feet, lock down the reel with a loop of line over it, then re-spool the loose line such that should a fish hit your bait the spool will trip your trap and you will know you got a bite. Several tackle shops have clip on beacons that activate when the flag goes up signaling with a light easily seen at night.

In Maine you may have up to 5 traps down per licensed fisher person and you must check them at least once per hour, no continuous watch requirement. In New Hampshire you are limited to two lines down at once, but you only need to check them once every 24 hours. That sounds like a good deal, but when we have colder nights if you don’t check them more often you will have a difficult time getting them out of the new ice.

Where you fish on a lake can be quite varied because you can catch them anywhere from 8 to 10 feet of water to over 1,000 feet deep, some 10 to 50 feet works well on Sebago. They tend to favor the deeper water except when it is time to spawn, mid-February to late March, then they seek out shallower sandy or cobble stoned bottoms. Use anywhere from 10- to 12-pound test leader because not only do they come large but they have a habit of curling themselves around bottom structure and sometimes it is a tug ‘o war to get them loose, steady firm pressure works most times but don’t be afraid to give them some slack and they may swim away from whatever is holding them.

Virtually any bait you choose to use will work from live minnows to dead minnows, night crawlers, trout worms, even an old discarded hot dog works. They eat almost anything they can find including crayfish and smaller pan fish and perch. I’ve had good luck with live suckers fished right on the bottom. Artificial lures work well too. Out in Michigan, they do well with glowing lures, spoons and Swedish Pimples that glow in the dark but always tip them with some sort of bait as they find their food with their sense of smell.

When you pull your first one through the ice you will be hesitant to touch it because it looks and acts pre-historic. It will curl its whole body up like an eel tighter than you think it should and it will be slimy like an eel. But don’t let that fool you. You don’t have to “gut them” per se just cut down behind the head and slice the skin which has no scales and grab the skin with a pair of pliers, and it comes right off. The top half of the fish contains two nice filets of firm white flesh that cooks up like haddock or pollock and is outstanding in chowder.

An evening spent Cusk fishing can be quite pleasant if the weather cooperates. Sitting out on the ice in a blind or ice hut with an adult beverage and a space heater is fun, jigging one hole while you watch traps on the other four holes. Snacks are always welcomed by your fishing buddies and can make a slow evening go by faster. It is a great social event in Maine in the winter so dress appropriately and give it a try…you will be glad you did. <