Yankee Fleet

[bart]

my girlfriend got me an all day fishing trip on the yankee fleet out of gloucester tomorrow and i was wondering if anyone had any tips/advice. i'd like to catch some fish so where on the boat is best to sit? never done the party boat thing before so any feedback would be greatly appreciated. thanks in advance...

Rob

[Slick Moedee]

Avoid anyone using an upside down spinning reel. Usually the stern corners are good because you cover more ground as you swing on the anchor, but I feel the fewer tangles you get in the more time you have to fish.

[MrHunters]

i like the stern too. but if you can find a spot away from people that might be more better and gooder.

[The Dad Fisherman]

It'll be crowded. They have beers and burgers and such on board but you can bringa cooler if you want. Take some bonine tonight and then again in the morning to get it into your system.......You don't want to be the only guy Chumming

I agree w/ slick about the back...best place to be.

They do a nice job out on the Yankee Fleet.

[MrHunters]

yep been out a bunch with them... never went home empty handed and each time out we did whale watching at the end of the day.

[Finaddict]

The Yankee Fleet will put you on fish, you can bet on that ... get there early to try and grab a spot on the stern corner ... if it becomes too crowded, the go forward to avoid the crowds, the mates will be able to help you too ... be sure to tip them, as that is the majority of their income and they do a great job.

Enjoy and good luck.

[Smellfish]

I would recommend:
1) Getting there earliy if you want a corner/ stearn spot
2) Mark your spot w/ your rod or towel (oh yeah bring a towel)
3) Bring your own rod .... the boat gear is usually not well maintained
4) If bait fishing.... use at least 16 oz of weight to get vertical as possible
5) If stearn is crowed .... stay as close to it as you can since the waves will make you bounce up and down more near bow
6) Let bait hit the bottom and crank it up about 1 foot.
7) Don't wear white clothing
8) Have fun and good luck

[bart]

thanks for all the feedback.
they tell you to get there at 630. is this considered early or should i get there before then?

i will be renting a rod as i don't own a conventional. i aksed if i could bring a spinner with 300 yards of braid on it but they said that it would be insufficient. is this true?

TDF- can you bring your own beers? they said no on the phone but weren't too convincing.\

thanks again

[striprman]

don't forget to sharpen your hooks.

[MrHunters]

ill toot when the YF goes by... i'll be 1.5 hrs fishing by then. look for two knuckleheads franticly looking for bass on the stage fort park side

good luck... you don't want your gear breaking if you hook into a big cod. or whatever that scary thing is ^^^

[bart]

Originally Posted by Smellfish

If bait fishing.... use at least 16 oz of weight to get vertical as possible

should i bring my own weights? thanks

[t.orlando]

gimme a call

[Rob Rockcrawler]

Going agaisnt the flow, i always head to the bow, bout 10 feet from it. Started out doing it when i was a kid and it stuck. If using the rental rod , on the way out check things over good, i always sharpen the hooks, and re-tie. Might want to bring a couple red gills with ya, they make a good teaser for all sorts of stuff, beef up the hooks a bit though. Good luck out there. Tip the mates good.

[bart]

thanks for all the replies.

tony if you get this tonight will you call my cell, lost your number. thanks..

[bart]

thanks to everyone who replied on this thread and in PMs. we had a blast catching haddock, my girl caught the biggest between the two of us so i was pumped for her. it was an absolutely beautiful day on the water. yankee fleet definitely puts you on fish, everyone seemed to be hooking up. a big wolfish took the pool.

only problem/concern i had was that i saw a lot of dead fish in the water. also, are those burlap sacks they use to hold fish biodegradable because they just dump them over the side after they fillet the fish.

other than that it was an awesome day and i would definitely do it again.

[Rob Rockcrawler]

I dunno bout the burlap, i would assume its degradable. When i go out there i think its key to bring a cooler with a block or two of ice in it, and bleed the fish when they go in the box. Dont know how much of a difference it makes, but i am a bit sketched out by letting the fish sit on the deck in a sack for 6 hours.

[sapo]

did a half day trip today myself (birthday present from a couple of years ago)5 keepers out of 30 people. The mates said that more and larger are caught on full days. Nice people but their rental gear seemed like crap. I almost exclusively surfcast so I didn't have my own.

I also made note of the dead fish, you can't keep 'em but they die on the way up, or from handling, anyway? Also noticed the Burlap sacks going overboard, and washing the boat with bleach and soap and then rinsing it into the water? hmmmm?

Took the rest of my gift certicate and bought overpriced lures. Hope this doesn't come of as too negative but I probaly wouldn't go on a half day again. I did see some jumping tuna, very cool.

[MrHunters]

glad you had a good time bart. it is alot of fun and a change of pace.

did you get to see any whales while you were out.?

[Slick Moedee]

half days are not really worth it because the time limits the areas they go. The sacks are biodegradable so no issue there. When fishing bait use circle hooks, less "impalements" on smaller fish.

[bart]

MrHunters- no whales, was hoping to see a few.

sapo- yeah i don't boat fish either, all surfcasting for me. i was definitely outta my element out there. nice change of pace tho...

as a bonus, afterwards i got to do some scouting/snorkeling around gloucester. found some primo waters that i plan on going back and fishing hard when i'm back up and running.