Category: REPORTS

“It was a week of great fishing with a big variety,” reports Capt. Greg of the BlackHawk.

This past Wednesday was opening day of the fluke season and the Black Hawk took full advantage of it. Some customers easily had their limits with fish just over 5 lbs. and a lot of action with shorts and some bluefish mixed in. Friday’s porgy trip was a little delicate; decent fishing but you had to work at it. As usual, the more experienced anglers fared the best, with a lot of bluefish mixed in.

Friday night’s trip was a slam dunk. Once we got anchored up, put the chum out and lit the place up, the action started and it was literally non-stop. An all out blitz on the bluefish, with customers arm weary by the end of the trip. Great weather, flat calm and gorgeous. And if you’ve never seen it, the Peconic-Shelter Island area is so scenic, especially at sundown. We have another one of these bonus trips scheduled for this Friday, May 26th, leaving the dock at 5:00 pm, so don’t miss out. Call today.

Speaking of the “lighting it up”, this year the Blackhawk has installed high output LED lights made by DuraBrite. These are the same lights used by the crab boats on the popular TV series the “Deadliest Catch.” When I co-hosted a seminar in Richfield, CT with Sig Hansen, Capt. of the Northwestern, in conversation on the lighting, he suggested these lights and boy, he wasn’t kidding. If any fishermen are looking for the very best in marine lighting, look no further. Simply put…..they are the best.

Saturday’s porgy trip with Capt. Matt started out with a boatload of fishermen and a little slow fishing at first. It wasn’t long before he found a monster pile of huge scup. No short fish here, all big stuff; biggest of the year so far. Customers loaded up, even had some blues and keeper weakfish mixed in. Nothing like full limits and heavy coolers to keep customers coming back. Sunday’s porgy trip was even better than the previous day.”Red Hot” fishing, double headers, even triples at times. “Man, that’s some fishing!!” were the customers’ comments as the anchor was pulled. Capt. Matt summed it up very simply, “We Catch Em…..Ask Around!

Heather from the office reports that this week, we’ll be fishing Tuesday, a fluke trip Wednesday, porgies on Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Memorial Day Monday.  Our online ticketing is available now for customers who wish to purchase tickets in advance, check our website for more information.  Our private charter calendar is filling up for spring charters, so be sure to book your date soon.  As always, you can give the office a call or check out our website for all the details.

Capt. Greg from the Black Hawk reports that Friday’s porgy trip started with a delicate pick and stayed that way for most of the day. At times a few flurries, a few double headers that made it look like it would bust open. Saturday’s trip was a lot more consistent, with some good changes of fat porgies to 3 1/2 lbs. Regular sharpies had their limits (30) with the rest averaging about half. The bite this year has been unusually delicate. Why? We don’t know, but smaller hooks and smaller fresh baits have been working much better. As always, braid is the way to go. A few bluefish, fluke, weakfish and striped bass have all mixed in with ’em.

Unfortunately, due to the heavy winds and the forecast of torrential downpours, Sunday’s Mother’s Day trip was canceled. Hopefully we’ll have some better weather in the coming weeks so all those moms can enjoy a day on the boat.

Speaking of bluefish, they’ve invaded some of the Greenport areas. Plenty of bunker to keep them here awhile, and simply great diamond jigging action. With fluke opening on the 15th, there’s tons of fishing action.

The best is yet to come on the porgies, so stay tuned to our website and follow us on FaceBook, Twitter for reports, pics and videos, along with our upcoming specialty night trips.

Heather from the office reports that right now we’re fishing on Saturdays and Sundays, with some weekday trips mixed in as well. Be sure to check the website for the full schedule. We still have a few dates open for private charters in May and early June, so book your trip today before the calendar is all filled up.

Capt. Greg from the Black Hawk reports that we had a great weekend in Suffern, NY at the World Fishing and Outdoor Expo.  It was great to see so many of our regular customers there, as well as meet some new people who we hope to see this season.

We’re just finishing up our winter maintenance, and hope to be fishing next weekend.  Stay tuned to our Facebook page, website and Twitter, as we will post when we’re sailing.

The Black Hawk is honored to once again be nominated for the “Best Charter Fishing Boat” in The Day’s 2017 “Best Of” contest.  Be sure to check it out and vote!

Capt. Greg from the Black Hawk reports that we had some great late fall codfishing, right up until about mid-January. With this wind, we didn’t get out at all this past week. We’d like to thank all of our loyal customers for fishing with us this year, it was a great season!

The Black Hawk is scheduled to get hauled out at Crocker’s Boatyard this week for routine annual maintenance. The hull will be pressure washed, waxed and polished; a few coats of bottom paint applied, etc. We plan on doing some work inside the cabin, including adding 2 more fiberglass dinette tables with bench seating.

With Coast Guard inspections all made up to date, we plan on being back in the water well in time for March & April cod fishing. Yes, we’ll miss February, but it’s the worst weather month and historically the slowest fishing.

We look forward to seeing all our customers at the upcoming boat and sport shows. First one is the Hartford Boat Show, February 9 through the 12th. Visit our website to see our complete schedule of sports shows. We’ll be giving seminars at all of them. Hope to see you all there.

Capt. Greg shares that one thing about the Black Hawk fishing reports is that they’ll be the honest truth. Good, bad or indifferent, you’ll always get the straight scoop. This weekend, Saturday and Sunday, it was a grind. Ironically, this past midweek was really good. Thursday it was lights out, as good as it gets. Friday Capt. Matt had some great fishing the first couple of hours, then it fell on its face. Every boat out there caught a handful of codfish the remainder of the day. Saturday, with a full boatload of cod fishermen, all the boats went steaming down to the last week’s hot spot, only to find that it wasn’t gonna happen. One head boat came all the way from New Jersey! You can’t make ’em bite! Matt ended up steaming to an offshore wreck where he corralled 25-30 codfish, with a lot of shorts, and a good pile of ling, some of them baseball bat sized. Not the best by any means, but the best for that day. Sunday, he was going back to the same wreck. Tomorrow, Monday, it’s supposed to blow an Easterly gale, so who knows. We’ll keep trying. Many thanks to all of our supporting customers!

Heather from the office reminds everyone that we’re fishing from Stonington. All trips require reservations, so call the office to get a spot. As always, check our website and Facebook page for more info and details.

Heather from the Black Hawk office reports that Friday, January 13, saw stiff NW winds that made for less than ideal conditions for drifting, making the fishing a little tough. We put in a lot of overtime to make sure everyone came home with some cod. Saturday was a different story, a perfect weather day with ideal drifting conditions, which resulted in much better fishing than Friday. Minutes into the first drift there were double headers coming over the rails. The trip remained a steady pick all day with everyone going home with cod in their coolers. Stay tuned to Facebook for updates and reports.

We’ll continue to fish on Saturdays and Sundays, with some weekday trips when we can, all leaving from Stonington at 5:00 am. As usual, these trips are all weather dependent, and reservations are required. Call the office at 860-448-3662 to grab a spot on board.

Capt. Greg from the Black Hawk reports that we only got one day in last week, Monday, January 2. It was kind of a pick all day, so we put in a little extra time and they bit pretty good at the end. We were scheduled to go on Friday and Saturday, but the snowstorm kind of nixed that.

We’ll plan on fishing this weekend with the holiday weekend, leaving from Stonington. Reservations are required as space is limited, so give us a call at 860-448-3662 to grab your spot on board. As always, stay tuned to our website, Facebook and Twitter for updates and schedules. From the entire Black Hawk crew, we wish everyone a very happy new year!

December was a month of superb bottom fishing. Coolers full of jumbo sea bass, codfish, porgies, and a good mix of pollock and flounder as well. As you may know, we’ve taken the boat on an easterly migration to Dodson’s Marina in Stonington Borough, which gives us easy access to Block Island. As of this writing (at the end of December) the fishing is still excellent, although seabass and porgies end on December 31. Throughout January, we’ll continue fishing, including running some specialty trips, leaving early and heading to Cox’s. These trips will continue until the codfishing tapers off, and then we’ll pick up again in April.

In other news, just before Christmas, Capt. Greg and some of the crew headed to the Connecticut Marine Trades Association Jingle & Mingle holiday party, where Heather was honored to receive the Jeanne Czel Person of the Year Award. This award is given each year to someone who exhibits Jeanne’s spirit and determination in making the community a better place. Heather was shocked and honored to receive the award. The Black Hawk is proud of Heather and her commitment to our Black Hawk and the Community program. As usual, we’d like to thank all of our customers for their support in making this program a huge success!

As 2016 comes to a close, we’re already looking forward to a great 2017 season. We’ll be starting off with some of our sports shows this winter, and we hope to see you there! Also in 2017, we’ll have some new trips going out, and you’ll now be able to buy your tickets online! Be sure to follow us on Facebook and Twitter to know what we’re up to this winter, and check our website for updates as well. Thanks for your support in 2016, and we look forward to seeing everyone in 2017!

Capt. Matt from the Blackhawk reports Sunday, December 11th had some nice, calm weather and good fishing. High hook on the cod was 8, with everyone getting a few and lots of sea bass. Nothing really huge; 12 to 15 lbs. Thursday, the 25th, Capt. Greg was at the helm with stiff north westerly winds. Jumped around most of the day, picking fish at every spot. Best was in afternoon when the wind was howling. High hook was 7 cod, with some fish in the 20’s. A lot of sea bass, but no scup. Talking to other boats that were there, they didn’t have any scup either, stuff probably moved to off shore waters. Although we’re still catching sea bass pretty good, it’s not like it has been in past weeks. That time of the year, the fish are moving off shore to deeper water.

We have a few trips left this year, so plan on joining us soon! Call the office to get a spot on board- 860-448-3662. As usual, check our website and follow us on Facebook and Twitter for updates and information. We’d like to wish all of our customers the very best this holiday season!

The temperature might be dropping as December rolls on, but the fishing is still hot. Captain Matt reports last Sunday’s trip, December 4th, showed some really decent fishing. Limits of cod, up to 20lbs for some anglers, with most getting 4 to 5 fish a piece. Plenty of seabass and porgies as well. Tuesday’s trip showed beautiful weather but was kind of a grind compared to Sunday’s trip. Everyone had a cooler full, but you really had to work at it. Capt. Greg had the helm for Thursday’s trip and once again, had calm weather. Everyone was having a great day, picking away on all 3 species.  As the morning went on, we anchored on a nice pile of codfish and had a real decent 2-hour flurry. Everyone on board had 7 to 10 cod a piece and their limits of sea bass with, again, a good mix of porgies. Friday’s trip was canceled due to high winds. Saturday, despite having to put up with some wind was again a decent day. Limits of seabass and everyone getting a few cod. High hook was 9 again, with some scup mixed in. Sunday’s trip hadCapt. Matt reporting beautiful, calm weather, but a lot of boats for this time of year and a little bit of grind compared to Saturday’s trip. “We’re picking away at a 1 drop spot so far, but I’m not leaving fish to find fish.”  Overall, a great mid-December day!

Heather from the office reminds everyone that we are sailing from Stonington, and planning on sailing Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, as long as the weather permits.  We’ll also add some weekday trips when we can. Be sure to check the website and Facebook for updates.

Capt. Greg reports that weather is the determining factor this time of year, and lately, we’ve had more than our fair share of trip-stopping winds. This past Friday, December 2nd, and Saturday, December 3rd were both, unfortunately, canceled due to blustery westerly gales and rough sea conditions. Sunday, December 4th, it finally let go and we had a nice calm day and some great fishing. A lot of nice big green cod on the first drop, with a good mixture of big sea bass and porgies. Really couldn’t ask for a nicer December day. Unlike last Sunday, dogfish weren’t a problem today, with only a handful being caught. As of this report, Capt. Matt is still out and has the whole afternoon left to fish. Check us out on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to see the results of the entire trip. We will be sailing Friday, Saturday, and Sundays regularly, with a few midweek days randomly included, depending on the weather.

As always, we want to provide you with enjoyable and productive fishing trips and we ask for your patience and understanding when we, unfortunately, have to cancel a trip or two due to high winds. We want to go as much as you do, but it’s all weather dependent at this time of year.

Heather reports from the office customers now have the ability to make reservation and purchase your tickets on-line- check the website for details.  Don’t forget, we also have gift certificates available for the holidays- a perfect gift!

Capt. Greg of the Blackhawk reports that Friday, the 25th and Saturday, the 26th showed us some nice November weather and hot fishing. Decent amounts of big scup, and full boat limits of jumbo sea bass were enjoyed by all. Some nice green codfish were also added to the mix, with some anglers getting two to three each, ranging up to 20 lbs. The cod were spitting up a lot of herring, which is a good sign to see. Hardly any dogfish were seen on these two days; although there are a lot of ’em around in other places. Weekly regular Henry D from Ludlow, Vermont came both Friday and Saturday and easily had his limit of jumbo seabass both days, with some nice cod too.

As of this writing, Sunday’s trip, the 27th, is still out fishing with Capt. Matt at the helm. The weather is not perfect as yesterday’s was, with a stiff northwest wind blowing 15-20 mph. The weather decides all at this time of year. If you’re planning on coming on any of these upcoming trips, the tip is to dress warm and bring extra clothes. Boots, gloves, and oilers are a must.
“The dogfish are more prominent today, unfortunately,” reports Capt. Matt. “Spots we fished just yesterday with excellent cod and sea bass are showing a lot of dogs today. We’ve had to go into the ‘seek and destroy mode’ on the other areas. The last drop was good with a good multi-species mix of scup, sea bass and cod.”

Heather from the office wants again to remind everyone trips are by reservation only, with a limited number of anglers. We are planning on fishing on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays with some weekday trips added in when the weather permits. Call for your spot and check our website for details. Be sure to follow us on FaceBook, Twitter and Instagram for great photos, videos and up to the minute reports.

Capt. Matt from the Black Hawk reports that stuff winds this past Wednesday kept us close to the beaches tog fishing for the first couple hours of the trip. Caught quite a few nice fish, a lot of shorts, and even a 20 pound codfish as a bonus. When the tide changed we went outside and anchored up for some excellent sea bass fishing with a lot of limits and some scup mixed in.

On Friday, Capt. Greg had good weather and targeted the scup first. Making only 4 long drifts, they clobbered ’em, all monsters with easy boat limits. We then went out and anchored up on a pile of huge sea bass…it was a one drop spot, and we stayed there for the remainder of the trip. Weekly regulars Murphy and Bruce from Litchfield said it was simply the best sea bass fishing they’ve ever seen. All big keeper fish with a good flurry of double headers. When it finally slowed down the shorts took over. Everyone got their limits with a good mix of codfish to 20 pounds scattered in.

The next day on Saturday it was a repeat performance with even nicer weather and Capt. Matt at the helm. Easy limits of both seabass and scup with some nice green cod mixed in. This is just a great time of the year to see some really hot fishing and fill the freezers for the winter. If we can get the weather we’ll get the fish.

Just a reminder, the Black Hawk is sailing out of Dodson’s Boatyard in Stonington Borough for the remainder of the season. It’s a first class marina affording a short boat ride to some really great fishing. These trips are limited to 34 people and are by reservation only. We plan on heading out on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, weather permitting. No crowds, less tangles, short boat ride…it doesn’t get any better. Check our website for info and online ticketing. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter for trip updates and reports. We look forward to seeing everyone soon.

From the office of the Black Hawk, Heather reports that Sunday’s trip, November 6, was a little nautical with the wind and the water.  Fishing was good with limits of sea bass and a good mix of porgies.  Friday’s Veterans Day trip was a wash for everyone, as blustery northwesterly winds kept everyone tied to the dock.  Saturday, despite the forecast for a little wind, was beautiful.  Calm and sunny with good fishing.  Again, seabass and porgies, with a few codfish and blackfish too.  Sunday was again good, a full boat of anglers and decent fishing.  Several customers had their limit of seabass, with a nice mix of porgies and codfish.

Sailing from Dodson’s Boatyard in Stonington Borough affords us close proximity to Block Island and the fishing grounds.  A real bonus is the popular Dog Watch Cafe, located right on the premises of Dodson’s.   It offers a spectacular view of Stonington Harbor as well as superb dining.  It’s New England fare at its best.  Capt. Greg swears by the lobster bisque!

As a reminder, we’re planning on fishing on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, weather permitting, and adding in weekday trips when we can.  We have added a trip for this Wednesday, November 16, so give us a call to grab a spot.   These trips are all by reservation, so be sure to call the office to get your spot on board.  We also have private charter dates available, so contact Heather to set up your trip.  As always, check our website and follow us on Facebook and Twitter for updates.

Capt. Greg from the Black Hawk report that last Sunday marked the end of a great bluefishing season. Plenty of action with a lot of albies mixed in. Wednesday through Saturday was bottom fishing with nice limits of jumbo Block Island seabass, with porgies and codfish mixed in. Friday even saw some bluefish in the mix! As always, some customers have no problem filling their coolers while it takes others a little more time.

Heather from the office reminds everyone the rest of our trips, now through the end of the year, are weather dependent and by reservation only. We’ll be planning to head out on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, with some weekday trips thrown in too, when the weather permits. Check our website for schedules and online ticketing. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter for fishing reports and photos. We hope to see you soon for some great fishing!

Captain Matt reports from the Black Hawk that the diamond jigging last Monday was again excellent with all you wanted. A few stripers & sea bass coming over the rails besides. Tuesday and Friday were a wash, due to the high winds, but Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday it was back to the bottom fishing. Full boat limits of jumbo sea bass, with monster porgies, some cod, big flounder and bluefish mixed in. Pretty darn good fishing with all fares going home with nice coolers filled.

The weather is looking great for Wednesday, November 2nd, so there will be an open boat trip leaving from Niantic heading to Block Island for Cod, Sea bass and Porgies! This will be one of the last trips leaving from Niantic before the boat is moved to Stonington for the remainder of the season. We will be leaving the dock at 7am. Don’t miss out on the action. Bring your lunch and catch your dinner!

Heather from the office would like to remind everyone that we’re getting ready to make the move to Dodson Boat Yard, located in Stonington Village, for the remaining November and December months. Easy access to Block Island with some really good sea bass, scup and cod fishing on the horizon. These trips will all be weather permitting. Private charters are available. Call or stay tuned to our website for details and updates . Be sure to like us on Facebook and Twitter for updated schedules, photos, and fishing reports.

Heather from the Black Hawk reports another week of good fishing. Blue fishing last Monday was nothing short of spectacular, as many as you wanted.  Bottom fishing during the week was hampered by strong winds, so we had to fish in some secondary spots.  Fishing was still steady, with jumbo porgies and seabass.

Unfortunately, Mother Nature decided not to cooperate with us this weekend, and we lost both Saturday and Sunday with the heavy westerly winds.  We’re looking forward to heading back out this week, especially with the reopening of seabass in federal waters.

We’d like to remind everyone that we will continue to fishing daily from Niantic through October.  After that, we will be sailing from Stonington- be sure to check our website for details, which will be posted soon.

Heather from the Black Hawk office reports that last Monday, Columbus Day, was again a diamond jigging bonanza on the bluefish, with some bass and a few jumbo sea bass. Tuesday and Wednesday were charters for bluefish; two church groups from upstate New York, and once again, we had beautiful weather and red hot fishing. Thursday, blackfish were targeted and it was a tough pick with a lot of short togs.

Capt. Matt, and two of our mates,  Ben and CJ, took a fishing holiday from working on deck and had a friendly bet on the biggest tog. Matt ended up with a pair and the biggest, retaining his title!

Friday and Saturday were devoted to bottom fishing for scup and sea bass. As always, some anglers do very well, while others seem to struggle. This coming Saturday, October 22nd, is the opening of sea bass in federal waters; a welcome relief.

As of this report, the bottom fishing is definitely still in shallower water; water temps have to fall and they’ll be some good fish movement and better fishing. (The seawater temperature in the gut was 65 degrees on the ebb.)

As a reminder, we will continue to fish every day though October, leaving from Niantic, before we head to Stonington in November.  Be sure to check our website for an updated schedule, as there are a few days we don’t have trips- but otherwise it’s 7am every day.  We look forward to seeing everyone soon!

Another week of solid, consistent fishing reports Capt. Greg of the Black Hawk. Jumbo porgies, and I do mean jumbo, adult porgies, ones that wake up in the morning with an attitude and fight all the way from the ocean bottom to the coolers.  This is the kind of scup we’re catching at Block Island. Yep, we’re throwing a lot of 5 pound seabass back while fishing in closed federal waters, unfortunately, but most days we’re allotting some fishing time in state waters with easy boat limits of seabass there too. Throw in a bunch of nice cod and fat winter flounder to round it all out. On Friday and Saturday’s trips, the weather was again excellent, flat calm and beautiful, with good solid fishing.  Congrats to brothers Steven and Paul from East Lyme- both young anglers, one in middle school, one in elementary- who joined us on Friday.  They were self-sufficient the entire day, fishing with their dad, and for the second time this year, won the pool, this time with a 20 pound codfish.

We’re moving the Black Hawk to Stonginton soon, sailing out of Dodson’s Marina, for the remaining two and a half months of the 2016 season.  The great fishing we’re experiencing now is only going to get better and sailing from Stonington means a really short boat ride to the fishing grounds, just over an hour to the island.  What could be better?  Trips will be by reservation only, so get your groups ready. From now until December 31, Block Island is the place for the season’s best on cod, scup, and seabass.

The bluefish scene still remains excellent, diamond jigging for literally as many as you want.  A few nice keeper bass, along with a few seabass, are coming over the rails as well.  Sunday brought us some really miserable weather, stiff northerly winds and rain, a lot of rain!!  Those that were prepared with rain gear came through unscathed. Tough customers and red hot fishing.  As this report is written on Sunday, tomorrow, Monday, Columbus Day, looks like another wind-filled day.  You’ll have to wait for next week’s report to see details.

Heather from the office reminds everyone that our  schedule changes as of Columbus Day.  We’ll be heading out for blackfish on Thursday, October 13, and an open trip for bottom fishing on Friday, October 14.  No trip on Saturday, October 15 due to a private charter, but we’ll be heading out Sunday the 16th at 7am.  Stay tuned to our website and our facebook page for schedule updates and to find out when we’re heading to Stonington.

Capt. Greg from the Black Hawk reports that weather dealt us a tough week.  Tuesday and Thursday we missed completely, stiff E-NE winds kept us at the dock.  Monday was again diamond jigging, with all you wanted. Wednesday, despite high winds, we fished under the lee of the beach and Fisher’s Island and did quite well on both Jumbo seabass and porgies, a few cod, and even some nice flounder. Unfortunately, on the way home, we we hampered by a minor electrical problem caused by a faulty 50 cent – 15 amp fuse.  Special thank you goes out to Charlie from Mystic Stainless, Ted from Seawell Fish Market in Pawcatuck, John, a local lobsterman from Noank, Dennis from Gwenmore Marina in Mystic, and Brian from Dockside Electronics in Mystic.

Friday’s trip, although scheduled as a bass and blue charter, was switched over to a bottom fishing trip due once again to the E-NE gale.  Capt. Matt was at the helm and fished in comfort under the protection of Fisher’s Island.  Porgy fishing was very good, although the size is somewhat smaller then the jumbo hubcaps we’re usually used to catching at Block Island and Montauk.  Some seabass and a few stripers also climbed on the clams.  Saturday’s trip was a repeat of Friday’s.  It was a one drop stop once we anchored, with again plenty of action.  Sharpies had no problem catching their 45 fish limit. Again, with a mix of seabass and a few stripers. We’re all very fortunate in our area to have protected and calm areas to fish, under sometimes really adverse weather and sea conditions. Race Point, the west end of Fisher’s Island, Watch Hill and the beaches, not only offer sheltered waters in gusty North Easterly weather, but provide some really great fishing besides.

On Sunday’s trip, the wind finally let go and we were scheduled to diamond jig.  Weather was calm, a little damp and chilly, but the fishing was Red Hot!  All you wanted, once again,with a few stripers mixed in.  We don’t know how long it will last this year, but we will continue as long as it does.

Heather from the office reminds everyone that our schedule will remain the same through Columbus Day- Sundays and Mondays for blues and bass, Tuesday through Saturday bottom fishing- one trip each day at 7am.  The schedule will change slightly after Columbus Day, so be sure to check the website and Facebook page for details and updates.