Southern Maine offshore fishing report by Teazer Charters
TEAZER Fishing Report
07/03/24
Jonah Paris
Offshore Fishing report,
Last week’s rough, rainy northerly days yielded fast fishing. The recent calm, sunny southerly days have been a bit slower, but steady. Putting two or three keepers in the tank per drift adds up quickly. We have been getting the job done with cut clams and small mackerel chunks.
Haddock have made up the bulk of the catch so far this season. We are releasing many sub-legal fish, and landing plenty in the 18-24 in. range. Haddock are biting in 200-230 ft., with the sweet spot being 220 ft. We have found sporadic legal pollock in the 20-30 in. range mixed in at the same depths, and 1-2 lb. whiting at 230-250 ft. The mass of 3-5 lb. jumbo whiting typically move in later in the summer.
We have been exploring new grounds and scoring cusk up to 11 pounds on hard bottom in 220-230 ft., and stumbling into legal redfish in 240-250 ft. Both are a pain to filet - nothing like a redfish spine to the palm - but definitely worth the effort. Dropping down any deeper than 250 ft. has resulted in dogfish and cod. The dogfish are still tolerable. Once they find you, cuss a bit and move up the bank, or switch from bait to jigs.
There are many “haddock snobs” out there when it comes to dinner preference - Capt. Pete is one of them. But here’s the secret…whiting is actually the best eating fish in the Gulf of Maine. Like ice cream at The Dairy Corner, fried whiting is a summertime treat. Keep it simple: wash and pat dry the filets, dip in beaten egg, roll in plain bread crumbs with salt and pepper, and fry for 2 or 3 minutes per side in canola oil. Add some ketchup and a lemon wedge, and dinner is served.
Tuna fishermen have been quietly unloading fish recently, and we have been marking a few on the high ground during our drifts. We are seeing footballs crashing mackerel while steaming out to the ledges as well. Sharking will light up in a few weeks, but for now, only a few big porbeagles have been lurking around.
There has been an incredible amount of life offshore this past week - pods of finbacks, humpbacks, pilot whales, basking sharks, sunfish, porpoises, dolphins, and crashing giants. You never know what you’ll encounter!
Now is the time to get out there and fish - drop a line, cast a line, or troll a line. Summer goes quick here in Maine. Happy Fourth of July!
Jonah Paris
First Mate
TEAZER Charters
South Portland, ME