Category: REPORTS

Capt. Greg from the Black Hawk reports that Mother Nature and her weather systems worked against us this week. The only days we had nice weather and fished were Tuesday and Friday.

We’ve been grinding away on a mix of bottom dwellers both days, with Tuesday’s trip being a little better; with a few dozen haddock, some cod, a lot of porgies and ling, and picking through a lot of short sea bass to find some keepers.

We’re hoping history repeats itself like the last few years, where in about a week we had a good body of cod move into the entire area and provided some really hot cod fishing. Only time will tell!

Heather from the office reminds everyone to stay tuned to our Facebook page and website for updates about trips and schedules. We hope to see you soon!

What a difference a week makes, reports Capt. Greg Dubrule of the Black Hawk. The utterly fantastic fishing of last week, including the historic hit on the haddock, has diminished to a grinding pick for most of this remaining week. The haddock have all but vanished and the cod, pollock, sea bass and porgies have dropped dramatically in numbers as well. We don’t know if the wind and rough seas of the first of the week upset the apple cart or what, but something certainly did!

Wednesday and Thursday trips were both a grind, culling through a lot of short sea bass. Thursday was hampered by stiff, westerly winds that didn’t help. Friday was cancelled due to winds. Saturday was more of the same; a pick throughout the day. Sunday’s trip was finally a reprieve; the winds let go and the water was flat calm, a beautiful winter’s day. Fishing was better in sorts because we could drift the entire day instead of anchoring as previous days. A lot of scup, ling, a few cod fish and sea bass and a nice flurry of haddock at the end of the trip. All things considered, it was the best day of the week.

Heather reminds everyone to keep looking at the weather and plan accordingly. We’ll post trips as often as possible based on the weather. Trips are limited to 35 people and are by reservation only. They do fill quickly, so be sure to grab your spot as soon as you see them posted online. Don’t forget, we also have gift certificates available for the holidays- call the office to order yours now! As always, check Facebook for updates and reports.

Capt. Greg from the Black Hawk reports- Incredible Fishing!! That’s the only way to describe this past Friday’s Block Island trip. It started out with some really beautiful weather and a good steady pick at anchor on sea bass, codfish and porgies. A couple of haddock came up besides. It was when we went on the drift that the real blitz began. For over 2 hours, the haddock bit like crazy!! That’s right, Haddock!! Haddock like we’ve never seen before in the Block Island region. As fast as you could get it to the bottom, they climbed on. Double headers all around the boat. When the flurry finally subsided, and things slowly got back to somewhat normal, the count was well over 200 haddock that landed in that short 2 hour window. When you add in the cod, sea bass , porgies, pollock and a few monks, it made for an exceptional trip that everyone will long remember. On board, as paying customers, were a few DEEP officials, both current and retired. They’d never seen anything like it!! Everyone went home with full coolers and great memories…..it was definitely a Kodak moment!!

The next day, Saturday, we were all prepared to go back to the scene of the crime, but as Facebook star CJ said in the live Facebook that day, “the crime happened yesterday.” It was another beautiful day, but the haddock bite was nothing like the day before. Everybody caught ’em; some with only a few, some with double digits, but not the anticipated blitz of the day before. That’s why they call it fishing, not catching. Everyone went home with a pile; cod, sea bass and porgies filled bags and coolers. We found there are some tips on catching these haddock. Soft mouths for one; they spin off quite a bit on the way up if you reel too fast with those high ratio reels for another.

Check out some more haddock facts that we’ll discuss on our “Talking Tackle” series on our YouTube channel. We’re certainly glad to see em’ here, it’s a real wintertime bonus. We’ll be fishing as often as the weather allows us. Stay tuned to our website, emails and our Facebook posts. Trips are by reservation only and limited to 35 anglers. The Black Hawk, often copied but never duplicated. Come see the difference.

Heather from the office reports that we’ll be fishing as often as we can, from our winter dock at the Noank Shipyard, when the weather permits. Trips are posted online and have been filling quickly, so when you see them, be sure to grab a spot soon. Don’t forget, too, that Black Hawk gift certificates are available for the holidays and make great gifts for the fishermen, women and kids in your life! Don’t give gifts that will too quickly be forgotten, give the experience of a fishing trip for memories that will last forever! Call the office to order.

Capt. Greg from the Black Hawk reports that we were able to get out 3 days this Thanksgiving week. Monday was our 50/50 day; sea bass, porgies, and cod to start off the day, then blackfish the other half. All species catches were very good, with a lot of limits for both sea bass and togs.

Friday was a cold day to start but the fishing was excellent, with full boat limits all around and bonus codfish to 25 lbs. Saturday’s trip again had excellent, flat calm weather and good solid fishing; not as good as the previous day, but limits of sea bass all around and smaller cod fish.

We will be running these trips as often as possible based on weather. They’re limited to 35 fishermen and by reservation only. Go to our website and book online. While the majority of the New England charter and party boats are done for the season, hauled out and boats winterized, the Black Hawk is still going strong, with some of the best fishing still to come! Follow us on Facebook, as we post every trip and stay tuned to our weekly emails for upcoming trips. “We Catch em’……Ask Around!”

Capt. Greg from the Black Hawk reports that Monday, Veterans Day, has solid fishing on the sea bass at Block Island; a good mix of porgies and a few cod and pollock. Thursday’s trip was a 50/50 marathon, leaving the dock at 5:00 AM and getting in at 5:00 PM. The weather was excellent and Capt. Matt crushed the sea bass once again, with a good mix of cod, porgies and pollock besides. This was only the first half of the trip. When everyone’s limits were met, we shifted over to the blackfish and it was “Lights Out- a One Drop Stop.” After vacuuming off all the short sea bass, the togs took over. Simply red hot fishing; drop that crab to the bottom and you got ’em!  Everyone on board limited out; a real fun day with a great bunch of happy customers and an action packed day of fishing.

Saturday’s trip was unfortunately a grind. Gale force winds and rough sea conditions on Friday churned everything up and disrupted the bite everywhere. We had a full boat charter from New Jersey of die-hard fishermen who simply would not quit. Capt. Matt put in the extra time needed and everyone went home with a good mix of sea bass, cod, porgies, pollock and ling.

Most boats are unfortunately hanging it up for the season with the real fishing getting to be Red Hot. We’re going to be seeing more and more codfish showing up on these trips as the early winter season progresses.

The Black Hawk will be sailing every day on a weather related schedule. We’ll be sailing out of Noank Shipyard, which puts us closer to the Block Island fishing grounds. These trips are limited and by reservation only. Book on line on on our website and come out and see some of the very best fishing on one of the very best boats. Come see the difference.

It’s unfortunate to start our report off this way, but we have some sad news from the Black Hawk family. Many of you know we consider the Black Hawk to be one big family, including all of our customers. We are heartbroken to share with our extended family about the passing of one of our special Black Hawk customers, Henry DeLuca. Many of you have fished with Henry over the past years, as he’s traveled from Vermont several times per week to fish with us. He was a great fisherman, and was so proud of his recent night bass trip, where he caught and released 13 big bass! Henry was always generous with the crew, giving them the pool when he won (which was often), bringing handwarmers and hats in cold weather, and snacks for long trips. He loved Capt. Greg’s four young grandsons as his own, and they loved him right back. He was always positive and cheerful, helping with our community programs and making everyone on board laugh. We love you and will miss you, Henry!

“A Fisherman’s Prayer”
God grant that I may live to fish
Until my dying day.
And when it comes to my last cast,
I then most humbly pray:
When in the Lord’s great landing net
And peacefully asleep
That in His mercy I be judged
Big enough to keep.

In other news, Thursday we went black fishing and it was very good. A lot of action, with a lot of shorts. Some people had no problem getting their limit while other people struggle to get one or two, but that’s just how blackfishing goes. Friday we went to Block Island and the sea bass fishing was nothing short of phenomenal. All the porgies you could want, with some cod mixed in too. Sunday and Monday showed good fishing as well, with lots of action, limits of seabass, and lots of porgies and cod mixed in.

Heather from the office reminds everyone We will be fishing daily as the weather permits. Stay tuned to our website and Facebook page for schedule updates. Check out Facebook for live videos from many of our trips. We hope to see you soon!

Capt. Greg from the Black Hawk office reports that we had our first blackfishing trip of the year on Wednesday.  As usual, when you have a boat full of fishermen, some people got their limit, others struggled to catch one, and others struggled to catch none.  We will  be doing some more trips soon, so stay tuned as we post our updated schedule.

Thursday, we headed out to Block Island.  It was a nice day with good fishing.  Limits of seabass were had by nearly everyone.  There were porgies too, and although they were a little tougher than usual, everyone still went home with a pile of them.  We’re also seeing more and more codfish show up on each trip.

Heather from the office reports that as we shared last week, we will be staying local doing some blackfishing on days we can’t get to Block Island due to weather conditions.   November trips are weather dependent and by reservation only, so be sure to stay tuned to our website and Facebook page for updates and schedules.  We plan on posting trips on a weekly basis.   We look forward to seeing everyone soon.

“This past Monday we stayed in the Race blue fishing and it was good, steady fishing all through the flood tide”, reports Capt. Greg of the Black Hawk. At the slack, we went east on a wreck and picked away on porgies and jumbo sea bass. These local fish have their bags packed and airline tickets in hand and after this weekend’s northeast blow, I doubt that many will be left.

On the Tuesday and Thursday trips, Capt. Matt took it to Block Island, where the bottom fishing on huge porgies and jumbo sea bass pleased all patrons and filled all coolers. A few cod fish, pollock and winter flounder rounded out the trips. Friday, Capt. Greg had the boat and again, went to Block Island for a picture perfect October day; flat calm, bright sunshine, a great group of eager customers and simply phenomenal fishing. Boat limits of porgies and monster sea bass, and I do mean monsters, along with a few cod fish. By far, the best October had to offer; wonderful weather and sensational fishing.

Friday night, Capt. Matt had the Night Bass Trip after having to cancel the Wednesday and Thursday night trips due to weather. It was a picture-perfect night before the Nor’easter on Saturday,  but the fish were a little uncooperative. There was a handful of keepers, caught with a lot of shorts. Pool fish was worth a cool $300.00. Reports from boats down on the western end of Long Island said striped bass fishing has lit up recently, indicating that the bio-mass we were fishing on has simply started its migration west. Good for them; not so good for us unless more fish come in to us from up north and east.

Heather from the office reports that during November, we will be staying local doing some blackfishing on days we can’t get to Block Island due to weather conditions.  Trips after November 1 are weather dependent and by reservation only, so be sure to stay tuned to our website and Facebook page for updates and schedules.  We plan on posting trips on Sunday evenings for the week ahead. We look forward to seeing everyone soon.

Heather from the Black Hawk office reports another great week of fishing!  Bluefishing was excellent on Monday,with a good mix of seabass too.  Our private charter on Tuesday was great, with all the bluefish you could want, plus a mix of sea bass and even a few stripers.  Wednesday’s charter had good fishing before the wind really made conditions deteriorate in the afternoon.  Unfortunately, we lost Thursday’s trip due to the windy conditions.   Friday’s trip, despite the wind, was simply sensational out at Block Island.  Limits of jumbo sea bass with loads of huge porgies made for an excellent day!

Unfortunately, the weather on Saturday made fishing difficult. Unable to get to Block Island, we stayed local and picked away on the porgies and seabass.  Customers still went home with fish, but it wasn’t like what we’ve been used to.

We did post a few more night bass trips, coming up this week- Wednesday, Thursday and Friday nights.  These are most likely the last three night trips of the year, so be sure to join us!

We’ll be fishing for the next two weeks, up to October 31, from our dock in Niantic.  In November, we’ll move the boat over to our winter dock in Stonington, stay tuned for the exact dates and an updated schedule.  As always, it’s a good idea to give the office a call the day before your trip, since the weather this time of year can be difficult.  Check our website and Facebook page for updates.  We look forward to seeing everyone soon!

Capt. Greg Dubrule of the Black Hawk reports another week of excellent bottom fishing. Literally, jumbo porgies and huge knot head sea bass are climbing on the baits as soon as they hit the bottom at Block Island. Customers are having no problem catching their limits and filling their coolers. A few codfish, trigger fish and even some winter flounder are also added to the mix. It’s simply excellent fishing. Saturday’s trip had quite a few families on board and the kids had a ball, with beautiful flat calm sea conditions, and “drop it to the bottom and you got em’ ” fishing. This fishing bonanza will continue until the closure of the season on December 31st, so plan a trip now. Why go anywhere else? We catch em…Ask Around! We’ll be moving the Black Hawk to our winter dock in Stonington Borough around the first of November. More codfish will be showing up as the waters chill, so stay tuned to our website and Facebook page.

Blue fishing still remains excellent in the Race with both both tides producing all you could want. As of this writing, Capt. Matt is out with Sunday’s trip and everyone’s catching heavy on the diamond jigs . They might have showed up a little late this year but they’re here now in numbers, so come and get em’! We’ll have night bass trips this week with the new moon. These past full moon trips have been excellent and we anticipate more of the same with the new moon cycle this week. Reports on all trips are posted daily; good, bad or indifferent, you’ll get the straight scoop.

Heather from the office reports that we are sailing daily at 7:00 am for the rest of October. There are several dates when we have charters, and as you know, Mother Nature can be difficult to work with in October, so it’s always a good idea to call before you head down. Give our office a call-860-448-3662- and we’ll give you the most up to date fishing report and schedule. We look forward to seeing everyone soon!

“Bluefishing remains excellent in the Race”, reports Capt. Greg Dubrule of the Black Hawk. Diamond jigging or three-way buck tails are producing all you could want. A lot of short striped bass in the mix, with a few keepers to make it interesting. “The night big bass trips this week have been nothing short of phenomenal,” reports Capt. Matt. If you were looking for some of the best of night time striper fishing, this was the week and the Black Hawk was the boat. Thursday and Friday nights were both very good, with Friday, for some reason, having a lot of smaller keepers along with quite a few shorts. Saturday was just sensational, with almost 60 big bass caught for the 20 anglers fishing. Relax, not to worry, we kept our 20 fish limit and released the remainder unharmed to breed and fight again. It was a beautiful, calm, clear and star filled night and at times we had 4, 5, 6 fish on each drift. Couldn’t have been any better!

Now, on to the bottom fishing. We missed Tuesday and Wednesday due to bad weather and Thursday and Friday, we had to stay local, fishing the Watch Hill reefs. A lot of tide and the regulars with braid line had no problem filling their coolers with porgies; not the monster size of Block Island, but enough to keep everyone happy. Friday was tough; torrential rain made it miserable in the morning. The hardy 28 customers endured it through. Sea bass came a little tougher. We anchored up outside the reefs, jumping around from rock pile and wrecks; picking away at them at each spot. Thursday was a better day by far on the sea bass then Friday. Saturday was simply another phenomenal day. The weather was perfect and the fishing was even better! It was by far the best day of fall fishing we have had for 2018 so far. The porgies chewed the bottom of the boat out right from the start making for an easy full boat limit of jumbo Block Island porgies. After the scup slaughter we headed out a little deeper and started sending the sea bass over the rails.It just couldn’t have been any better!

Heather from the office reports that we are sailing every day through October 31 at 7:00 am. Please note there are no trips on October 10, October 12, October 16, October 17, and October 24. As usual, check our Facebook page and website for reports and updates. We look forward to seeing everyone soon!

Sunday and Monday’s blue fishing trips in the Race showed excellent results diamond jigging, reports Capt. Matt of the Black Hawk. Some of these brutes were in the 14 to 16 pound range, really testing our customers’ muscles. Fortunately, there are other adjacent areas where the blues are a little smaller and friendlier which helps to break up the day. During the slack, we’ve been dropping the sea clams down and picking away on the sea bass and a few porgies. These bottom fish are definitely moving at a fast rate to the east, much earlier this year than they usually do. It’s going to make local bottom fishing tough in the weeks to come. Why they keep moving is a mystery! The good news is they’re all east bound for the Montauk-Block Island fall fishing areas.

This past week, we lost Tuesday’s trip due to bad weather, but Wednesday and Thursday had plenty of action, with limits of jumbo scup and big sea bass. A few cod fish were also coming over the rails, pleasing all hands. On Friday, for some reason, they didn’t want to bite like Wednesday or Thursday, but we put in some overtime and still ended up with a good number of fish. Saturday’s trip was a little nautical, with stiff winds and choppy seas. We had a full boat charter and the hardy anglers that stayed at the rails were rewarded with coolers full of scup, sea bass and a few cod. As it happens so often, the wind dropped right out in the afternoon and all the seas were flat calm for the ride home.

Due to the upcoming full moon this week, we have a few big bass night trips. Stay tuned for nightly results!

Heather from the office reports that we are fishing every day, leaving at 7am. Sundays and Mondays are for blues and bass, Tuesday-Saturday for porgies and seabass. As usual, visit our website or Facebook page for updates and reports. We look forward to seeing everyone soon!

“Blue fishing still remains excellent in the Race and adjacent areas”, stated Capt. Greg Dubrule of the BlackHawk. Tuesday afternoon, the Black Hawk had our annual “Hooked Up with a Vet” trip, as a show of appreciation for their service. The diamond jigging was fast and furious on the bluefish. An enjoyable afternoon was had by all; flat, calm conditions, great fishing, even a colorful sunset. Most of the veterans live in the Rocky Hill Veterans Home, and are really limited for enjoying recreational activities. They greatly appreciate their annual trip and we appreciate their willingness to have served our country. Many local businesses and organizations help sponsor this trip; the NorthEast Saltwater Fishing Club, Peter Pan Bus Lines, Glastonbury and Westbrook Elks Clubs, Thurston Foods, and Power Ink, just to name a few. Thank you so much to everyone involved that helps in making this day possible. As a footnote, we just spoke with Capt. Matt via phone this Sunday morning and he reported he’s currently in the Race and the diamond jigging is excellent!!

The bottom fishing this week was hampered by wind and a big ground heave that turned the water a chocolate milk color. Unfortunately, we lost a few days and because of these conditions, Friday’s trip was a struggle. We put in a lot of overtime, went to a lot of productive spots but most fish simply had lockjaw. Everybody caught, but nowhere like what we’ve been accustomed to all summer long. Production on the very next day, Saturday, was once again, back to normal, with limits of both jumbo porgies and monster sea bass. Amazing how quick it turns from picky to steady. Now until the season end on December 31st is going to be great “Fill your Freezer Fishing.” Spend a day or two and come on out and join us.

The one night bass trip we had this week was, like Friday’s bottom fishing trip, greatly effected by the weather. It looked like we had a small weather window to work with; flat calm when we left the dock, but the easterly wind soon took over. The water was brown with a big ground heave. Results….we called the trip early; had one bite and one fish, a 25 lb’er, winning the pool for $320. It was our one, and hopefully only, smallest fish winning the money pool. Our policy, as always, is never to sugar coat any of reports. Good or bad, you’ll hear it straight and true. We’ll be posting more of these trips the week of the full moon, starting Tuesday. September 25th, so stay tuned because they fill up fast!

Heather reports from the office that we are sailing 7 days a week at 7am. We do have a few days when we don’t have open trips due to private charters so give us a call or check the website before you head down. Our sunset cruises are done for the year, and we’re already getting requests from organizations looking to book their trips for next year, as these trips were popular and great fundraisers. Thanks to everyone for all of your support! As always, check our website or Facebook page for updates, and we look forward to seeing everyone soon!

“We’ve been waiting and hoping the entire 2018 for consistent, knock your socks off action on the bluefish and we’ve finally got it…..better late then never”, reports Capt. Greg Dubrule of the Black Hawk. For the past three weeks, the bluefish have been thick in the Race, chewing in both tides and providing non-stop action. If you’re looking for some great diamond jigging, well, now’s the time and the Black Hawk is your boat. Quite a charge of short striped bass in the mix along with an occasional keeper or two. Leave the mower, put the paint brush down and get ready for a fun filled day of great fishing. Don’t just read the fishing reports; come out and make the reports.

Now that the bonus party-boat season in the sea bass and porgies is here, Black Hawk customers are having little problem getting their quotas. “It’s just simply phenomenal fishing,” reports Capt. Matt.   The very best of the sea bass and the very best of the porgies and fluke are in two distinctly different areas. Go to one in the right tide, catch your limits. Then go to the other and repeat.  On Thursday, George Gonsalves, former producer  of the Hartford Fishing and Hunting Expo, teamed up with fishing partner Dave Burnett, owner of Salem Country Gardens in Salem, CT, to experience fishing on a party boat for the first time and were blown away by the results. “We never realized that a party boat could be so much fun and so productive, it was unbelievable; with limits of both sea bass and porgies throughout the entire boat. The boat, the crew and Captain were all top notch …. 5 star. We’ll both be back many times before it ends this year.”  Thank you George and Dave, please come again. It won’t slow down until the season ends on December 31st. Folks, come see for yourself. “We catch em’…. ask around.

Heather from the office reports that we are fishing every day at 7:00 am.  Sundays and Mondays are for blues and bass, Tuesday-Saturday for porgies and seabass.  Please check our website or give us a call before heading out, as we have a few dates when we have private charters and no open trips heading out (September 13, 22, and 25).  Our “Cruisin’ for a Cause” sunset cruises ended last weekend with a great cruise for the Friends of Scotland Elementary School.  Thanks for all of your support this year- we had some great trips and raised money for some great causes! As always, check our website for updates and more info.

Heather from the Black Hawk office reports another week of excellent fishing. The Saturday, September 1st opening of the bonus season for sea bass and porgies went off in spectacular holiday fashion. Capt. Matt started off with a full boat load of eager customers in the Montauk area with excellent porgy fishing and then went east to the sea bass grounds and continued filling limits with sea bass. This bonus season for party and charter boats allows customers to take 45 porgies and 7 sea bass per angler. During the week, customers that targeted fluke were rewarding in a lot of decent fish. Thursday’s trip was exceptional, with everyone getting their limit of seabass, nearly everyone their limit of porgies, and some nice big fluke mixed in as well. Weekly customer Richie, from Niantic, fishes every Thursday and won the pool with a nearly 10 lb fluke, after getting his limit on the sea bass and scup. Whenever he wins the pool, the dollars go back to the mates, as they do when many regulars win. Good going Richie, we’ll see you Thursday! The fishing doesn’t get better than this!

After a very slow start this year, the blue fishing remains excellent for the past two weeks. Diamond jigging is the way to go and customers can literally catch as many as they want or until their arms give out. The After Work Special trips on both Thursday and Friday were fantastic, with all the bluefish you could want and a bunch of nice seabass as well. We only have one more week of these After Work Special trips before they’re done for the year, so plan on joining us now!

Our Wednesday night, big bass night trip had good action with fish to 39lbs. These trips are limited by reservation to only 20 anglers. We’ll be posting more of these trips in the days to come. They book up fast so sign up for our email blasts and don’t miss out on these and other specialty trips, fishing reports and videos

We had a great sunset cruise on Saturday night with Journey Found, a local nonprofit helping those with intellectual disabilities. We have one more, this Saturday night, for the Friends of Scotland Elementary School. Come join us- have a great night on the water while raising funds for a local school.

Our current schedule is 7 days a week, 1 trip at 7am. Sundays and Mondays we’ll head out for blues and bass, Tuesday-Saturday for porgies and seabass. As always, we can be flexible about what we’re fishing for based on conditions. We’ll also be posting some night bass trips soon, stay tuned. Please note there are no trips on September 13, 22, or 25. Check our website and Facebook page for the full schedule. We look forward to seeing everyone soon!

The arrival of consistent diamond jigging on the bluefish tops the leader board this week, reports Capt. Greg of the Black Hawk. A good charge of fish have taken up residence in the Race this week, providing some dynamite action for all hands. The mid-week afternoon charters were arm weary, easily getting their limits if they wanted, and releasing dozens more. It’s the best of the 2018 season so far, and we hope it lasts! Saturday afternoon’s trip had a cooler full of jumbo sea bass for everyone on board, in addition to the blues.

The bottom fishing trips, targeting sea bass, porgies and fluke, still remain excellent. Summer might be winding down with the kids back in school soon, but the fishing is gonna remain hot for months to come. Plan your trip now to load the freezers with prime fillets.

Heather from the office reports that our schedule is now 7 days a week, sailing at 7am. We’ll be bottom fishing most days, and going for the blues and bass on Sundays and Mondays when conditions permit. Our After Work Specials continue for another two weeks, so be sure to grab a spot before they are done for the year.

We had a beautiful night last Saturday for our 5th annual sunset cruise with the WARM Center from Westerly, RI. We have two more sunset cruises coming up, on September 1 for Journey Found and September 8 for the friends of Scotland Elementary School. We’d love to have you join us and help support these great organizations. These sunset cruises have been great fundraisers for the groups we’ve been working with this summer, and we look forward to doing more of them in the future. As, always, check our website and Facebook page for updates and info, and we look forward to seeing everyone soon!

“I hate to sound repetitive on every weekly report, but the bottom fishing continues to be nothing less than spectacular,” reports Capt. Greg of the Black Hawk.   The charge of jumbo porgies that are inhabiting the entire Montauk area are the likes of which we’ve never seen.  Customers are having a ball getting their limits. As a bonus, for the last couple of weeks, when the tide is just right, there’s a good shot of fluke to be had.  Customers that switched rigs over and fished the right tide “window” were rewarded with a lot of 4 to 7 pounders, with the largest of the week weighing in at nearly 10 pounds. Although there is a mix of seabass with the porgies and fluke, the main body of them is more east.  And that’s exactly where we head the second half of the day.  The sea bass are big knot heads. On the Black Hawk, we’ve never spared time, fuel or energy providing our loyal customers with simply the best fishing our areas have to offer. The sea bass fishing is no exception- we will go the extra mile.  Limits of sea bass have been rounding out our daily trips. Our customers, who have been ranging far and wide from Maryland to Maine, are overjoyed with the extra effort providing them with the best New England fishing.

The local bluefishing, on the other hand,  has been, and continues to be, a real source of aggravation. At times it seems like we’re knocking our heads against the wall.  Some days, it’s as good as it gets, with monster sized choppers, the next day it’s almost non-existent.  How and why it can be so good one day and so poor so fast is mind boggling to all of us.  This past Saturday was excellent on both tides. Then, Sunday morning’s trip with what seemed to be excellent conditions, provided only a handful per boat.  Capt. Matt spent most of the Sunday morning trip bottom fishing when the tide was right, and fortunately everyone went home with a nice bag of sea bass and porgy filets.  If you think you’ve solved the 2018 bluefish problem, of what, when and why, please tell us… we’re out of ideas.  We’re all hoping it changes as fall arrives.  But the clock is ticking…

Heather from the office reports that we have one weekend left of double trips before we start out fall schedule of one trip per day.  Right now, we head out Monday-Friday at 7am, and Saturday and Sunday at 6am and 1pm.  Starting September 1, we’ll be going out 7 days a week at 7am. We have a few dates left for September charters, so give us a call and get on the calendar before we fill up.  We also have a few sunset cruises left for our “Cruisin’ for a Cause” fundraisers.  Plan on joining us on one of those soon!  As always, check our website and Facebook for updates.

Heather from the Black Hawk office reports that it’s another bonanza week on the jumbo porgies, monster sea bass, and door mat fluke. A good mix of hard fighting trigger fish are in the mix as well. Patrons are going away with full coolers and a lot of smiles. It doesn’t seem to matter the tide or weather conditions, drop it to the bottom and you got ’em.

Iris from Harley, NY came on Friday’s trip and caught her limit of both porgies and seabass, then switched over to fluke and ended up with 4 nice keepers to 8 1/2 pounds. It you change rigs and target the fluke, there are some really nice fish to be caught. School will be starting sooner than you think, so get the kids together and come on down. Now’s the time to make some lasting memories with your children of all ages!

Congratulations are also in order for the Black Hawk’s own Mike Salkauskas, who went shark fishing with some friends on their private boat and caught a 235 thresher shark, and released another. Great job Mike!

From the office, Heather reminds everyone that we are sailing Monday through Friday at 7am (no trip August 16). Weekends continue to have two trips, leaving at 6am and 1pm, through the rest of August. After work special trips are Thursdays and Fridays at 4pm, with reservations strongly suggested, as these trips usually fill up. Stay tuned for more night bass trips to be posted soon, as well as our September schedule. We had a great sunset cruise on Saturday night raising funds for Austyn Salafia, a 17 year old from East Lyme who worked with us last summer on the boat. He was diagnosed with cancer about a month ago, and we had a great night on the boat with him and his family, as well as a group of supporters. Thanks for a great night. Austyn, we’re all thinking of you! We continue to have sunset cruises every Saturday night through September 8. As always, check our website or Facebook page for updates and info. We look forward to seeing everyone soon!

The porgy and seabass fishing just continues to be out of this world, reports Capt. Greg from the Black Hawk. Full coolers of jumbo porgies with limits of huge seabass and a few fluke delight customers of all ages. If you’re looking to share an action packed day with your children or grandchildren, now is the time, and the Black Hawk is your boat. Fast, clean, comfortable and catering to families. It’s no wonder we were voted Connecticut’s number 1 party boat 4 years in a row. Come and see the difference.

The bluefishing remains inconsistent, some tides it is red hot for a few hours, then next tide is a slow pick. We’re gearing our trips accordingly, when conditions are right and we can show our customers an action packed trip, we’ll do it. An example is our trips last Saturday. The morning trip went to Montauk and had a great time on the sea bass and porgies. Saturday afternoon Capt. Matt had the right tide conditions, and the bluefish bit very well, pleasing all hands. During the slack, he broke out the bottom rods and did a little combo fishing on the porgies and seabass. We’ll do what it takes to give our customers a successful trip. We catch ’em, ask around.

Heather from the office reports that we had another beautiful sunset cruise on Saturday night, this time for Ray of Light Farm. Though it rained on and off during the day, the sun broke through just in time for the boatload of people to see a gorgeous sunset. It was a very successful fundraiser, and we are happy to be able to support such great organizations. We have our very special sunset cruise coming up this Saturday for Austyn Salafia, a 17 year old from East Lyme who was recently diagnosed with cancer. You may remember Austyn from the boat, as we worked with us last summer. We have a great trip planned, with loads of raffles and specials going on. Be sure to join us for this great night! We continue to fish Monday through Friday at 7:00 am (no trip August 16) and on Saturdays and Sundays at 6am and 1pm. After Work Special trips continue on Thursdays and Fridays at 4:00 pm. As always, check our website or Facebook page for updates and info. Plan on joining us soon!

Capt. Greg from the Black Hawk reports that we had another week of excellent fishing. We had great day trips with limits of porgies and jumbo sea bass as well. The big news, though, is the bluefish! The long elusive bluefish are here! They have finally showed up in the Race and surrounding areas. We know weather and wind can move fish, and it certainly did. While the weather did cause us to lose our trips on Sunday and Monday, by Monday afternoon the bluefish were here. Thursday’s After Work Special trip was nothing short of sensational. It was an action packed diamond jigging bonanza, with all the bluefish you could want, and lots of striped bass too. In addition, huge seabass were climbing on the diamond jigs too. What a night!

Things slowed down a bit for the weekend. Saturday morning was okay, but the afternoon was a little bit of a grind. No matter where we went, where the blues used to be abundant, they weren’t there. They do have tails, and they do move! Sunday morning was better. We spent the first half of the trip bottom fishing and got big porgies and seabass, then when the tide got running we switched to the diamond jigging and did good on the bluefish and bass.

Heather from the office reports that we had a great time on our Cruisin’ for a Cause sunset cruise on Saturday night. This was a fundraiser for Community Speaks Out, and everyone had a blast! We do these special trips every Saturday night, so come join us and help raise funds for some great organizations. Our fishing schedule remains the same- Monday through Friday, 1 trip daily at 7am (no trip August 16) and two trips on Saturdays and Sundays at 6am and 1pm. Thursdays and Fridays we also have our After Work Special trips at 4pm. More night bass trips will be posted soon, so stay tuned to our website. Our school supply drive is in full force, so grab some markers or pencils and bring them to the dock for your next trip, and help us get some local kids living in the Safe Futures shelter ready for back to school. We look forward to seeing everyone soon!