04-08-2001, 03:09 AM
STELLWAGEN BANK,MA- Cod Fishing 4/6/01<br><br><br>Cod fisherman found the seas calm and the codfish cooperative Wednesday through Friday this week.<br>Tom Hoops and family of Bolton, CT split a charter with John Hayes of Pittsfield, MA on the JANET B, Wednesday. By noon, all the boxes were filled with cod and pollock jigged up from 110 ft. of water on Stellwagen’s shoals. 16 oz jigs with a firetail pink or iridescent green teaser worked best. Tom group really enjoyed the performance of the Boss 655 Accurate reels on Seeker’s BA-50 rods. <br><br>Bill Burnette of So. Hadley, MA, a long time NE Fisherman reader, made his first pilgrimage to the Bank on Thursday, after reading the magazine’s glowing fishing reports. His group was treated to drift after drift over schools of cod and pollock between 6 and 15 pounds. Once again, arm weary and loaded with fillets enough to fill the freezers, the group headed in early to the harbor and home to western MA.<br><br>On Friday, five of B-Fast vessels, the JANET B, DECISIVE, ALLIA, DRIFTER and KAAMA headed out early to fish the shoals. Ken Byxbee’s group from Stamford, CT, Dave Rossler’s group from Somer, CT, <br>Val Feliciano’s group from N. Bellmore, NY, John Bebbino’s group from Lindenhurst, NY and John Bailey’s group from Perth Amboy, NJ experienced cod fishing at its best. All the groups were able to load-up the boxes with scrod and market cod and pollock and hustled back into Green Harbor before the wind and minus-tide run-out impeded their return. Another easterly has necessitated cancellations of Saturday’s charters.. <br><br>Capt. Mike Bartlett<br>B-Fast Charters<br>www.bfastcharters.com<br><br><br><br>Capt. Mike Bartlett<br>B-Fast Charters<br>www.bfastcharters.com