Category: REPORTS

Capt. Greg from the Black Hawk reports that the 2019 fishing season got off with a bang this weekend with some really good early season porgy fishing. With the good weather on Saturday we had a full boat and a lot of action- some limits were met with no problem and everybody had a good time catching their fill. This seems to be a big biomass of scup this year, and certainly earlier than usual . Hopefully more and more will keep piling into the area. In addition, a few seabass were caught but unfortunately had to be returned as the season is not yet open. Some short fluke and short striped bass were also all returned to fight again another day. A lot of bait shimmering on the water and the birds were seen working too. All the indications of a really super spring of fishing. Sunday the weather was against us with a damp rain and drizzle for most of the day which kept our numbers down to the diehard anglers. Once again, as on all trips, some people had their limit while others caught 10-15. Overall a great first weekend- we’re looking forward to a great season!

Heather from the office reports that We’ll be adding more trips soon, including some night bluefish trips and squid trips so stay tuned. They’ll be posted on our website and are sure to fill up quickly, so keep watching our site and Facebook for updates.

We’re also looking forward to participating in the Uniting for United regional food drive. We know we have the best customers around, and our goal is to collect at least 2 truckloads of food! Please bring some non-perishable food items when you come for your trip and help us help the local community!

We’ll be fishing on Saturdays and Sundays, leaving at 6am, with weekday trips added in around our charter schedule each week. Check our website for a full schedule. There are a few days left in May for charters, and very few in June, so if you want to get your group on the boat, be sure to give the office a call soon. We look forward to seeing everyone soon!

Heather from the Black Hawk office reports another great seal watch last Saturday. This one was a fundraiser for the Noank Baptist Church Nursery School. The weather and seals didn’t cooperate quite as much as our last seal watch, but it was still a good time for a great cause. We are excited to have been able to provide so many fundraisers for so many great causes on our seal watches this winter!

We’ll be starting our fishing season this Saturday, May 4 at 6:00 am, heading out for porgies. We are looking forward to getting back out there. We still have a few dates available for private charters in May and June, but those days are filling quickly, so be sure to contact the office soon to get your group on the calendar.

We’re also absolutely honored to announce that the Black Hawk has, for the fifth year in a row, been named the first place winner in the party/charter boat category of the “best of” contest. Capt. Greg has been named Best Captain as well. We are thrilled to receive the award again and look forward to continuing to provide the best service and experience for all of our customers.

As always, check our website and Facebook page for updates and info. We look forward to seeing everyone soon!

Heather from the Black Hawk office reports that we have our next seal watch coming up on Saturday, April 27th as a fundraiser for the Noank Baptist Church Nursery School. Tickets are selling fast so grab them before they’re gone!

As for fishing, we’ll be starting for porgies the first weekend in May. Tickets will be available online in the next day or two. May and June charter dates are filling quickly, so be sure to contact the office to get your date before it’s booked. As always, check our website and Facebook page for updates and reports. We look forward to seeing everyone soon!

Heather from the Black Hawk office reports that we had a great seal watch with the Miracle League of Southeastern Connecticut on Saturday. The weather cleared out and we saw a ton of seals and some of them even came right up to the boat.  It was a great fundraiser for a great cause!  Our next seal watch is Saturday, April 27th as a fundraiser for the Noank Baptist Church Nursery School.  Tickets are selling fast so grab them before they’re gone!

As for fishing, we’ll be starting for porgies the first weekend in May.  A full schedule will be posted soon, but plan on joining us in May.  May and June charter dates are filling quickly, so be sure to contact the office to get your date before it’s booked.  As always, check our website and Facebook page for updates and reports.  We look forward to seeing everyone soon!

Heather from the Black Hawk office says that we are excited to get back out there!  From all the calls and emails, we know you are too!

We’ve got a seal watch coming up this weekend as a fundraiser for the Miracle League of Southeastern CT, and another coming up on the 27th as a fundraiser for the Noank Baptist Church nursery school.  Plan on joining us for one of these great events.  Stay tuned for some big news about our Black Hawk and the Community program in the next few weeks, too!

We plan on starting our regular season at the beginning of May- we may add some earlier trips, so be sure to stay tuned to our website and Facebook for updates.  Our charter schedule is also filling up quickly, so be sure to contact the office soon so you can grab your date before someone else does.
We look forward to seeing everyone soon!

Heather from the Black Hawk office reports that we spent the weekend up in Hartford at the Fishing & Hunting Expo, and as usual, had a great time.  It was great to see everyone- we’re all getting excited about the upcoming season!  

We’re finishing up our annual winter maintenance this week, and will be back at our home dock in Niantic soon.  We can’t wait to get back out there! 
We’ve got two seal watch fundraisers scheduled, on April 13 for the Miracle League of Southeastern Connecticut, and April 27 for the Noank Baptist Church Nursery School. Come on down and join us to see some seals and help raise funds for two great causes. Tickets for both are going fast, so be sure to get them soon. 

As always, stay tuned to our website and to Facebook to see what we’re up to.  We can’t wait to get out there fishing, and we look forward to seeing everyone soon!

Heather from the Black Hawk office reports that the Black Hawk is getting geared up for the 2019 season. The boat is currently hauled out for our annual winter maintenance.  Check out our video on Facebook to see what kind of work the guys are up to.  As soon as we’re done we’ll be back in the water and ready to go!  

We’ve got the last of our shows, the Hartford Fishing & Hunting Expo, coming up this weekend.  If you haven’t seen us at a show yet this year, be sure to stop by.  It’s the last chance for the kids to fight like a fish to win a free fishing trip on board the boat.  We look forward to seeing everyone soon!

We’ve got two new seal watch fundraisers scheduled, on April 13 for the Miracle League of Southeastern Connecticut, and April 27 for the Noank Baptist Church Nursery School. Come on down and join us to see some seals and help raise funds for two great causes.

As always, stay tuned to our website and to Facebook to see what we’re up to.  We can’t wait to get out there fishing, and we look forward to seeing everyone soon!

Heather from the Black Hawk office reports that we had another great weekend, this time in Edison New Jersey at the Saltwater Fishing Expo.  We spent some time with old friends, and met a ton of kids who got to “fight like a fish”- we can’t wait to see them on the boat this summer!

Meanwhile, while some of our crew was in New Jersey, the rest of the crew had another great seal watch, this one with a group of local kids on spring break.  We saw a ton of seals, and the kids all had a great time.  We have a few more seal watch fundraisers coming up in April, stay tuned for details as they are finalized in the next week or so.

We’ve got one more show, we’ll be in Hartford for the Hartford Fishing & Hunting Expo the last weekend in March.  If you haven’t seen us at a show yet, be sure to stop by and say hello. We look forward to seeing everyone soon!

Heather from the Black Hawk office reports that we had another great seal watching this weekend, this time as a fundraiser for the New London Maritime Society.  It’s always a great trip with them, and, as has been the case recently, we saw tons of seals.  We’ll have a few more of these coming up, so plan on joining us soon!

We’re looking forward to seeing everyone in Edison, NJ at the Saltwater Fishing Expo this weekend.  Stop by the booth and see the crew and have the kids fight against the shark to win a free fishing trip! 

As always, stay tuned to our website and Facebook page for updates and reports- we look forward to getting out there soon, and we’ll be sure to post when we’re heading out.

Heather from the Black Hawk office reports that we had another great weekend visiting with customers old and new at the Suffern World Fishing & Outdoor Expo. We always love talking with everyone- especially the kids, who always get a chance to win a free trip at the booth.  We look forward to seeing all of our winners on the boat this summer! 

Next weekend, on Saturday, March 9, we have our annual seal watch fundraiser for the New London Maritime Society.  It’s always a great time, so be sure to grab your tickets soon before we sell out!

We’re looking forward to seeing more of our friends, and meeting new ones, at shows in Edison, NJ in two weeks, then in Hartford at the end of the month.  

As always, stay tuned to our website and Facebook page for updates and reports- we look forward to getting out there soon, and we’ll be sure to post when we’re heading out.

Capt. Greg reports that the Black Hawk has been busy!  We’ve had some great seal watches as part of our Black Hawk and the Community program, where we collected peanut butter for the local food bank.  We’ve also been at the Philadelphia Fishing Show, where we had a great time meeting some new friends and visiting with our friends from the Philly area. 

We’re really looking forward to getting out there fishing, but it appears there’s still not much around.  We’re ready to go, so as soon as they’re here, we’ll be out there!

We have a few more shows coming up, and we hope to see everyone in New York, New Jersey, and Hartford, CT. We also have a special seal watch fundraiser coming up for the New London Maritime Society on March 9- tickets are going fast, so be sure to grab yours today.

As always, check our Facebook page and website for updates and reports.  We look forward to seeing everyone soon!

We hate to start our report with this terrible news- but it is with a heavy heart that we share devastating news from the Black Hawk family. Many of you knew Austyn Salafia, who was a deckhand with us for a few years in past summers. He was a great kid, a hard worker, and loved being on the boat and on the water fishing. As many know, last year, Austyn was diagnosed with lymphoblastic lymphoma. He faced a tough battle, and fought with courage and grace well beyond his years. Sadly, Austyn passed away on February 15, surrounded by his family, the day after his 18th birthday.  We are forever grateful to have had Austyn as part of the Black Hawk family, and know he’s up there now fishing (and probably trading fishing stories with Henry!) Please keep Austyn’s family in your thoughts during this time.

We didn’t do any fishing this week, but did have another great seal watch- there were plenty of seals sunbathing on the rocks and shore to make for some great photos. We even had a few very curious ones that swam about 10-15 feet from the boat allowing for some awesome close-ups. Be sure to stay tuned for more seal trips for the coming weekends, including an upcoming fundraiser for Austyn’s family, as well as fundraisers for the New London Maritime Society and other local organizations.  

We’ll be at the Philadelphia Fishing Show this weekend- stop by and see us!  We look forward to seeing all of our Philly friends, and meeting new ones too!

While we didn’t fish this week, we did have a great seal watch on Sunday, February 10.  We had a full boat and the seals cooperated, sunning on the beaches and playing in the water, giving everyone a great show.  As usual, this was part of our Black Hawk and the Community program, and each customer brought a jar of peanut butter to be distributed to local food banks.  We’re doing another one next Saturday, and have more coming up as the winter continues, so be sure to stay tuned to our Facebook page as they fill up fast.

We’re also getting ready for our next show in Philadelphia, the weekend of February 22.  We look forward to seeing everyone then! 

Capt. Greg from the Black Hawk reports that with the cod fishing being as slow as it is right now, or practically non-existent, we’re going to spend the next week or two doing shipyard work in preparation for the 2019 season.  If anything does materialize, we will post some trips immediately.  Be ready to go, and let’s hope for the best.  

Heather from the office reports that we’ve got some seal watches coming up, so if you’re looking for a way to get out on the water to with the kids this winter, check our website for dates and details. We look forward to seeing everyone soon!

Heather from the Black Hawk office reports that it looks like we’ll be taking a break for a bit to let the fishing improve. The weather certainly hasn’t been cooperating, and the fish just haven’t biting like we’d like them to.  We don’t want to take people out for just a boat ride- we’re not that kind of boat.  We want to give everyone the best opportunity to catch.  So, we’re going to hold off for a bit until the fishing improves.  When it does…we’ll be ready.  (We’re ready now…. come on, fish!)

Be sure to stay tuned to your email (join our specialty trip list for last minute trip info), our website, and Facebook to get all the info for when we head out again.  

In the meantime, we’ll be heading out on some seal watches soon- stay tuned for details about those.

We’re also getting ready for our winter shows- stay tuned next week for the full line-up of where we’ll be and when we’ll be there.
We look forward to seeing everyone soon!

Heather from the Black Hawk office reports we did get out last Sunday, January 13.  It was kind of a struggle with a handful of codfish, pollock, ling, haddock and other bottom dwellers.  Still a few porgies and sea bass around,  but with the season closed those had to be returned.  

We spent our weekend at Mohegan Sun Casino for the CMTA Hartford Boat Show.  It was a great show in a new beautiful location.  We got to see some old friends and meet some new ones.  Congrats to all of our hourly fishing trip winners, as well as all the kids who “”fought like a fish” to win a free trip on the boat.  We look forward to seeing you on the boat this summer! 

Stay tuned to our website and Facebook, as we will post trips there as we’re planning on heading out when the weather allows.  We also are planning some seal watches in the near future, so stay tuned for more info about those.  As always, check our website for info and updates, and we hope to see everyone soon!

Capt. Greg from the Black Hawk reports that we haven’t had much weather to work with since the first of the year.  High winds and rough sea conditions of plagued not only us but the other handful of boats that are fishing at this time of the year. We did get out two times this week, Saturday and Sunday.  Both days were kind of a struggle with a handful of codfish, pollock, ling, haddock and other bottom dwellers.  Still a few porgies and sea bass around,  but with the season closed those had to be returned.  

We will be starting our show circuit this week with the Hartford boat show at the Mohegan Sun Casino this Thursday through Sunday.  Come on down and meet the crew and see the great white shark. 

 
Heather from the office reports that we will continue to fish when weather permits.  We also are planning some seal watches in the near future, so stay tuned for more info about those.  As always, check our website for info and updates, and we hope to see everyone soon!

Heather from the Black Hawk office reports that last Sunday was another slow day.  We covered a lot of ground and picked away at the fish but never really found a pile to work on. We ended the day with a few haddock and sea bass with a few short cod as well. 

Monday, New Year’s Eve, was on the slower side as we were hampered by dogfish.  We had a great group of anglers out with us, anxious to get out for the last trip of 2018.  We made a bunch of moves and fished different grounds but the bite never materialized. We ended the year with a few cod, sea bass and haddock with a nice mix of ling and bergal. 

There is plenty of bait in the water, so the stage is set for things to turn around for the better and we will continue to stay on the grind until it does.  Unfortunately, Mother Nature just didn’t cooperate this week, and the winds just didn’t allow us to get out.  We’re hoping the weather will cooperate soon so we can get out this weekend. 

We are looking forward to getting back out on the water in 2019.  We will continue to fish as the weather allows.  As always, check our website and Facebook page for updates and info.  We wish everyone a very happy New Year and nothing but the best in 2019! 

Capt. Greg from the Black Hawk reports that on Wednesday, we put in a long one on the water. We had some wind to contend in the morning, and some fish didn’t want to cooperate. We moved around a bit and found a nice pile of sea bass to work on with some pollock, ling, and bergall mixed in. We put in some overtime and made a stop on our way home and hooked up on a bunch of big cod fish at the end of the day. Overall, we managed to get a pretty good day out of it.  

Thursday, however….well, there’s just no way to sugarcoat it.  We put in a lot of time, made a lot of drifts and dropped the anchor on a few occasions, but the fish just would not cooperate. It was a tough grind that ended with a handful of cod, a few haddock, pollock, and bergal. We had a great group of guys who chartered the boat for their annual fishing trip, and they fished hard and put in the time and effort, it was just one of those days that didn’t work out the way we wanted.  

There is plenty of bait in the water, so the stage is set for things to turn around for the better and we will continue to stay on the grind until it does. 
We will continue to fish as the weather allows.  As always, check our website and Facebook page for updates and info.  We wish everyone a very Happy New Year and nothing but the best in 2019! 

Capt. Greg from the Black Hawk reports that while we only got out one day last week, Wednesday, we couldn’t have asked for a better day.  We had absolutely beautiful weather, and had a decent pick on nice codfish, a lot of ling, and a scattering of seabass, porgies and pollock.  The weather, though- it just couldn’t have been any better.  Flat calm, just beautiful.  We had a great group of anglers out with us, and everyone went home with a nice pile of codfish fillets.  

Heather from the office wants to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas, and once again say thanks for a great year.  We have the best customers around, and we’re so glad for each and every one of you.  We will continue to sail as often as the weather allows, so be sure to check our website and Facebook for updates.  We look forward to seeing you soon!