Capt. Greg from the Black Hawk reports that the best of the bluefishing has been this week.  Diamond jigging was very good in the Race, and then it just exploded in Pigeon Rip.  The fishing was simply as good as it gets.  The weather certainly didn't help this week- Westerly gales made the fishing a bit more challenging on Friday and Saturday, but we went out both days and had arm weary customers who caught their fill and released just as many.  We've got a new load of fish donations to take to the United Way of Southeastern Connecticut this week.  The Black Hawk had some special visitors this weekend- the seals!  Seals have been enjoying the bluefish, grabbing hold of a fish we've hooked, then coming right up alongside the boat before finally letting go of the fish and swimming away.  We even had a "double-header"- two - two hundred pound seals were right next to the boat at the same time on Saturday.  It was quite a sight, and everyone enjoyed watching them. 

The blackfishing still remains picky due to the high winds and the strong running tides.  Most of the fish being caught at this time are smaller fish, in the 3-5 pound range.  On Sunday, we did a split day, starting off with bluefishing for a few hours, then ended the day with some blackfishing, catching three dozen togs upwards of 5 1/2 pounds.  A tremendous amount of shorts were mixed in.  Porgies are still a pest- we're hoping the water will cool off quickly and they'll get out of the area, since the porgy season is no longer open. 

The night bass trips this week were a disappointment- the bass in the Race area are definitely gone- everyone is struggling.  It's like someone flipped a switch and they left.  Tuesday night's full moon trip was a real grind, with only 4 fish being caught.  The fish were smaller fish, in the 28-34 inch area.  No large fish were caught this October moon. 

Check our website (www.BlackHawkSportFishing.com) for updates and schedules as our season is slowly winding down.  This week, we'll fish on Friday and Saturday for bass & blues, and on Sunday for blackfish.  All trips leave at 8am and return to the dock around 3pm. 

Heather from the Black Hawk would like to thank everyone for what was one of the best porgy seasons in recent memory.  We had so many amazing trips, it was simply an incredible season that was red-hot until the end.  Loads of jumbo porgies, with nearly everyone on almost every trip catching their limit of 40 fish per person.  Last week, with trips on Sunday and Columbus Day, we ended the porgy season on a high note- so many fish the mates were filleting for what seemed like hours!  Here's hoping next year the regulations are loosened and we can go back to a slightly longer season.  It seems like the season closes at the peak of the porgy fishing.

Thursday, we went out for bass & blues- and had another incredible trip.  Customers were exhausted on the trip home from catching their fill of both bass and blues- now is definitely the time to fill the freezer for the winter.  While the fishing is still hot now, the bluefish have their bags packed and airline tickets in hand- so now it's just a waiting game to see how long they hang around.  We lost Friday's trip due to the high winds, but fished Saturday.  Despite strong Northwest winds, on the Ebb tide we were very successful with both the bass and blues.  Sunday was a combo bass, blues and blackfish trip, and as of this report, the boat is anchored out with a steady pick of nice togs. 

We're very excited for our full moon night bass trips this week- look for our report next week to find out how it went.  As usual, check our website (

) for our updated schedule and information regarding current and upcoming trips.

Capt. Greg from the Black Hawk reports another week that was hampered by strong winds, but when we fished, it was excellent.  The porgy fishing over the holiday weekend was nothing short of spectacular.  Nearly everyone easily caught their 40 fish limit, and we were throwing them back every trip.  All fish were nice, big jumbo porgies.  It's just too bad that the season has to end when the fishing is just so good.  On several trips, the mates starting filleting fish halfway though the trip- and we're still filleting at the dock since we had so many fish!

 

We're excited about the rest of our season; we continue fishing for bass and blues on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, and will be blackfishing on Sundays and Mondays.  Check out our website (www.BlackHawkSportFishing.com) for a full schedule.  We're also looking forward to our October full moon trips, coming up soon. 

 

Heather from the Black Hawk office wants to remind everyone that in October, we're collecting household supplies (dish soap, dish towels, Windex, sponges, etc) for MASH, which runs local homeless shelters and transistion housing.  Help the Black Hawk support our local community through our Black Hawk and the Community Program, and save money on your fishing trip at the same time.

Bass and blues remain relatively unchanged.  Still plenty of blues with a good mixture of striped bass mixed in.  Again, weather played havoc this week, Thursday and Friday, and unfortunately we lost both days.  Saturday was the best day, we decided to take a run down Fisher's Island to old reliable "Hubcap Ridge" where the porgy fishing was excellent with plenty of big fish and a good scattering of sea bass up to 4 1/2 pounds.  Sunday's trip was hampered with strong NE winds, but the fishing was still very good at Race Rock, and once again, if you're a good fisherman, you caught your limit.  There were also some blackfish mixed in with the weekend's trips,  both undersized and keepers.   Porgy fishing will remain strong right through the end of the season, October 11, and unfortunately, the very best of it will probably be after the season closes.

Night bass trips for the October full moon trips will be posted online this week, so stay tuned and check the site (www.BlackHawkSportFishing.com) for details.  It's the last chance of the year to nail that 50 pounder- so plan to join us then.

Capt. Greg from the Black Hawk reports bluefishing still remains very consistent- we're only fishing for blues and bass on Mondays and Tuesdays but last week's trips were very good, with a good mixture of striped bass as well.  Once again, as it's been all season long, diamond jigging and bucktails have definitely out caught any other method.  Our Captain's choice full moon night trips were very successful.  Monday night's trip had fish over 40 pounds.  Tuesday's trip was unfortunately canceled due to strong winds and rough sea conditions, but Wednesday's night trip was absolutely sensational and will probably go down as one of the premier nights of 2010.  We had 21 fisherman on board the boat, and we had our limit of 2 per man, plus threw back a large quantity of fish.  We had fish upwards of 35 pounds and everyone had their fill.  Both nights, bluefish were not a problem- we only caught 8-10 bluefish each night.  Our last night trips of the season will be on the October full moon- look for the dates on our website to be posted soon.

Porgy fishing has been nothing short of excellent.  During the week, if you're a good fisherman, you'll have no problem easily catching your 40 fish limit.  Sizes have been varied from day to day, but for a few days we really got into the jumbo hubcaps.  The weekend trips, unfortunately, were hampered a little bit by weather- Saturday started off little sloppy with strong Southwesterly winds but as the day went on the weather improved.  

Our schedule will change after Columbus Day, as we go back to bass and blues, and start blackfishing.  As always, check our website (www.BlackHawkSportFishing.com) for a full schedule.  

Capt. Greg from the Black Hawk reports another great week of fishing.  Monday and Tuesday bass & blue trips were great- loads of blues, with a nice mixture of bass as well.  We're noticing more and more bass on our day trips, making us very excited for our full moon night trips this week.  Porgies, once again, were fantastic.  On Wednesday, it was blowing a gale so we elected not to go to Race Rock, but instead went down East to some grounds where the weather was calm and the porgies were jumbo- "Hubcap Ridge".  Huge porgies and very happy customers were everywhere that day.  Porgy fishing continued to be great through the weekend, and should remain so this week too.  We also had a few seabass mixed in with the porgies.  Our last "After Work Special" trips of the year were very successful- again, loads of blues and many nice bass as well.  We are looking forward to these trips again next season!  The Black Hawk will continue porgy fishing Wednesday-Sunday, and fishing for bass and blues on Mondays and Tuesdays.  Check our website (www.BlackHawkSportFishing.com) for a full schedule. 

Heather from the Black Hawk office wants to remind everyone that there's one more week to bring in art supplies for Hospice of Southeastern Connecticut as part of the Black Hawk and the Community program, and that in October we'll be collecting household cleaning supplies (sponges, dish soap, etc) for MASH.  And don't forget to save those tickets from your trips this year- you'll need them this winter at our exciting winter event....more details to come soon! 

Capt. Greg from the Black Hawk reports that the bass & bluefish remain plentiful and the fishing was good this past week.  Labor Day and Tuesday saw lots of fish, with a good mix of both bass and blues.  But the real hot news is the PORGIES!  The porgy fishing has been phenomenal.   Slow drifting proved to be the most successful, except on Sunday, when we had a "One Drop Spot".  We anchored on a pile, and the entire boat caught their limit, and we headed in early.  All jumbos culling out the larges.  Sea clams, fresh squid, blood and sand worms were the ticket with plenty of clam chum in the chum pot.  Be sure to check our website for photos and videos.  The 4pm trips this week were also good- a good mix of bass and blues on these trips.  Next week is our final week of these "After Work Special" trips- as of right now, there are just a few spots open on the Thursday trip, so call the office to get your spot on board!Lot's to look forward to: Our upcoming night bass trips, an incredible porgy season, the upcoming blackfishing, and our BIG exciting event of the winter.  Check our website and be sure to stay tuned for more details about that one....it's going to be good!

Capt. Greg from the Black Hawk reports that the beginning of the week was great.  Lots of fun fishing for our customers who joined us early in the week.  Once again, loads of fish- it just couldn't get any better.  They were biting on everything- diamond jigs, bait, and buckails, with diamond jigs working the best for us.  Just like it's been for the past few weeks, everyone caught their fill and released plenty more back to the water.Hurricane Earl put a damper on the holiday weekend, that's for sure.  While the weather wasn't bad during the day on Friday, the forecasters scared everyone away.  Saturday was even worse, due to the strong westerly wind that kept up all day long.  Sunday morning produced great results, with lots of bluefish being caught on diamond jigs. There was a good mix of striped bass too. Sunday afternoon trip was equally as good.Heather from the Black Hawk office reminds everyone that we will start porgy fishing this Wednesday, September 8th.  We'll still have bass and blue trips, these will be Mondays and Tuesdays at 8am.  There's also a few more spaces left on our last "After Work Special" trips of the 2010 Season. These trips are on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays.  These trips will end on September 17, so call today to get your spot before they're all filled.  The night bass trip schedule will be posted this week- we promise!  Check our website (www.BlackHawkSportFishing.com) for a full schedule. Don't forget, in September, as part of our Black Hawk and the Community Program, and National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, we're collecting art supplies for Hospice of Southeastern Connecticut.  Hospice runs art therapy groups for children and teens dealing with loss, and we couldn't be more honored to work with such a worthwhile organization this month.  We'll see you at the boat soon!

"Just when you think it can't get any better- guess what- it gets better", reports Capt. Greg from the Black Hawk.  We might have lost Monday and Tuesday due to the harsh northeast wind, but it did nothing but enhance the fishing.  There's been a good combo of striped bass mixed in with the loads of blues, especially on our evening trips.  People are catching as many blues as they want to keep, then releasing them back- lots and lots of them!  Everyone is leaving the dock exhausted after catching so many fish!  Diamond jigging was the way to go this week- not only the blues, but the bass were biting them as well.   We're looking forward to some great porgy fishing soon.  We'll be fishing for porgies Wednesdays-Sundays, starting September 8th and going until Columbus Day.  We'll continue to fish for bass and blues on Mondays and Tuesdays.  Check our website  for a full September schedule.  On another note, congrats to Kirt C and Justin A, the winners in our Patriots football contest.  Justin and Kirt brought school supplies to the dock as part of our Black Hawk and the Community program, and were the lucky winners!  Each won a pair of tickets to the Patriots game last Thursday.  Great fishing, great football, great community partnership- it doesn't get any better than this!  Join the Black Hawk for your fishing trip soon!

Capt. Greg from the Black Hawk reports that the bluefishing just can't get any better.  Our customers are catching whatever they can use, and releasing as many as they can catch.  There's been a few bass mixed in during the day trips too.  Our 4pm to 10 pm trips continue to be successful, with loads of blues, and a nice shot of bass on both Thursday and Friday last week.  Congrats to 8 year old Justin who came with us on Thursday night and caught his first bluefish- and then many, many more!  Diamond jigging has been working the best for us lately, but 3-waying with bucktails is also productive.  We're looking forward a great porgy season.  We'll start porgy fishing on Wednesday, September 8th and fish for porgies Wednesdays-Sundays, with the bluefish/bass trips continuing on Mondays and Tuesdays.  Check our website  for a full September schedule. 

"It just can't get any better" reports Captain Greg Dubrule of the Black Hawk.  Diamond jigging and three waying with bucktails is working the best, but we've used bait too- everything is working well.  It's been mostly blues, with a few bass mixed in.  August is historically the slowest month for the bass, during both day and night. 

We had an unwanted guest this week at Pigeon Rip.  A small shark, about 100 pounds, has been biting the blues in half all last week.  We've also seen quite a few seals still around the area, with all the activity with the bluefish and the massive amounts of bait around, who knows what's swimming around with us.

Our 4-10 trips have been incredibly successful- last week, for our special trip with WCTY, everyone caught their fill early in the trip and released most fish back to the water.   We were also able to get loads of fish fillets to donate to the United Way- thanks to all our wonderful customers for your donations!  These trips will continue into September, so be sure to call for your reservations soon.  We look forward to more great fishing, and more bass as we move into September. 

We're also getting ready for porgy season, which will start just after Labor Day.  Check our website for a full September schedule, including our September Big Bass Night Trips. 

Capt. Greg reports another week of fantastic fishing- a good combination of bluefish in all sizes with a good mixture of striped bass mixed in too.  There are definite advantages to certain styles of fishing in certain areas.  Diamond jigging works extremely well in some places, while bait works better in others.  Our 4:00 pm to 10:00 pm trips continue to be outstanding, with bass up to 25 pounds this week.  Last Thursday, long time customer Bruce Witik joined us on the day trip, where he won the pool.  He stayed for the 4:00 trip, and he won the pool again!  Congrats Bruce!

We've also been catching a few fluke on the bait rigs- and they're obviously big to bite a 12 ounce drail and a whole herring.  We've caught fluke up to 12 pounds this week.

There's been activity at Bartlett's Reef lately- there are lots of birds at certain points of the tide.  There's been some top of the water action for some of the smaller boats who are fortunate enough to bump into it.  

We continue to sail 7 days a week for bass and blues.  We will start fishing for porgies just after Labor Day, and are looking forward to a great porgy season.  As always, check our website for details, videos, and some great new pictures.

Capt. Greg from the Black Hawk reports that the bluefish have arrived!  They arrived early last week in numbers.  Hordes have invaded the Race, Plum Gut, and Wilderness.  Our customers this week caught their fill with a good mixture of bass too.  Our 4pm to 10 pm trips are filling up earlier every week, as people hear about the success of the trips.  Thursday's trip had the entire ebb tide to fish and the fishing was sensational, with all parties catching their fill and then releasing the rest.  A nice mix of both blues and bass up to 39 pounds.  Our full moon captain's choice trips saw a lot of bass action as well, with fish up to 41 pounds.  Because of the bluefish population increase, at times we were pestered by the bluefish even at night.  With the plentiful bluefish in the past week, we were happy to get a significant amount of fish for the United Way food bank.  Thanks to everyone who donated!

One other noteworthy item: We have been noticing so many small skiffs throwing back fish after they've been flopping around on deck and grabbed with towels.  It's so easy to use a de-hooker- you don't have to touch the fish, you don't even need to bring them onto the boat.  These de-hookers are inexpensive and available in tackle stores everywhere.  In this fishery, it's important to catch and release- but just as important to release properly. 

As usual, check our website for schedules and updates.  We start porgy fishing on September 7th.  The full September schedule, with night bass trips and all porgy dates, will be posted on the website soon.  We have just posted some great new videos- check them out, then come join us on a trip and you might just see yourself staring in one of our videos!

Capt. Greg from the Black Hawk reports that huge amounts of bluefish have moved into the mouth of the Thames River and Bartlett's Reef area.  As long as there was a lot of current, the fish chewed on diamond jigs spectacularly.  All sizes of fish, from 2-3 pounds up to 10-12 pounds were caught.  The fish were up on top, and a lot of smaller boats were taking advantage with light spinning gear.  

Daytime fishing in the Race is still better on the Ebb tide.  We've been using a combination of bucktails, diamond jigs, and bait, and all three are working successfully.  The flood tide is still presenting its share of problems- at times it can be very good, in the Race, Pigeon Rip, and Plum Gut- with certain tide and weather conditions.  Other times, it falls flat.  If you're gonna go, go on the ebb.

Nothing short of spectacular fishing all this week on our night trips.  Tuesday night was the best, with everyone on board getting their share and then throwing them back.  Fish up to 40 pounds were caught.  Bucktails and eels are on the menu for the night trips.

As always, we'll continue to sail our 4pm to 10pm "After Work Special" trips on Thursdays and Fridays.  These trips have been very successful, so come join us.    Stay tuned for a special "After Work Special" to be announced this week- a very limited number of tickets will be available for this one time trip.  Check the website for details.

Capt. Greg from the Black Hawk reports another good week of fishing. The weekday trips were decent all week, with some days being better than others, but all trips caught a good amount of fish.  The slowest day of the week was Friday during day trip.  These day trips had mostly bluefish, which were biting the bait in Plum Gut.  It was a good week for the United Way, which got plenty of fish thanks to customers who had more than their fill and donated the rest to the food bank.  Thursday's After Work Special trip was good, with several nice bass, in addition to quite a few blues.  Friday's After Work Special trip, though, was incredible.  It was amazing to see how the fishing could be so mediocre during the day and so red-hot that afternoon.  We had a full trip of 30 people, and caught just under 60 bass! That's not even taking into account the blues and the bass we threw back!  It was an incredible trip- the fishing was absolutely as good as it gets.  The bass were biting on bucktails.  Saturday morning, with thick fog, cloudy skies, and the constant threat of rain was fantastic- nearly everyone on board caught their limit.  Sunday morning wasn't nearly as good due to the bright sunshine and flat calm seas- although the fish were there, there were just too many boats out there to be successful.  The After Work Special trips have been selling out, so it's a good idea to call for reservations. Also, the Black Hawk would like to remind everyone that we have our special

fireworks cruise next Saturday night- it's our "Christmas in July" trip- the fireworks cruise is FREE when you bring a new and unwrapped toy as part of our Black Hawk & the Community program.  Check the website, or  call the office and talk to Heather for more info.

Capt. Greg from the Black Hawk says that while the fishing started slow this week, by the end of the week it was fantastic.  Monday and Tuesday were slow, but by mid-week, the blues were here and the fishing was great.  We had a great private charter on Wednesday afternoon, with everyone in the group catching plenty of blues and numerous nice bass.  Thursday and Friday were good during both the day trips and our "After Work Special" 4pm-10pm trips.  Lots of bluefish, plus a bunch of nice bass as well.  Special congrats to Ellie Funk, from Ashley Falls, MA, who was the big pool winner on Thursday, July 1st.

There are so many baitfish in the sound right- and bait is far surpassing diamond jigs every day.  We've still been using bucktails for the bass, but for everything else, bait is the way to go.  On Saturday, we even caught a handful of fluke, up to 6 1/2 pounds, on bait!

Saturday and Sunday were better than expected, given it was the holiday weekend with beautiful sunshine and flat calm seas.  Both trips Saturday were successful, as was the July 4th Sunday morning trip.  As of this report, the boat is out for the Sunday afternoon trip, with several fish already on board.

We will continue to sail our After Work Special trips from 4pm to 10pm on Thursdays and Fridays- these trips have been very popular, so reservations are strongly suggested.  Check the website for more details, pictures, and videos.

Capt. Greg from the Black Hawk reports that the night bass fishing has been good.  The best of the bass are on particular tides, and even particular segments of the tides.  The best last week was Wednesday night, when just about everyone on board caught their limit.  Bluefishing has been a disappointment, there's simply no other way to put it.  They should be here in numbers by now, and yet there's only a mere scattering of fish. Again, like the bass, the fishing has been better on particular tides and parts of the tides than others.  If you come and you get one of the tides when they're not biting, the catching results are unfavorable.  We're all concerned and hoping that after this moon and some northeast and easterly winds the conditions will improve.  July's night bass schedule has just been posted, be sure to check the website for dates and times.

Heather from the office of the Black Hawk reports another steady week of bass fishing.  "You had to pay attention to the bottom, and be a good fisherman to cash in on the bass this week" says Capt. Greg.  Thursday evening's trip was a highlight, with the fishing about as good as it gets, with many customers getting more than their limit and releasing fish.  Friday was not as good as Thursday, but was still darn good weekend.  Unfortunately, as the Father's Day weekend arrived with flat calm seas and bright sunshine, it made for tougher conditions.  The fish would bite at particular stages of the tide, and then not for very long.  Bucktails worked the best this week.  We're looking forward to a full week of night fishing this week. 

Capt Greg from the Black Hawk reports that the bass fishing remains very good.  As usual, certain tides provide better fishing than others.  Diamond jigs are still the way to go.  We're also starting to see more and more bluefish come into the area.  The night bass fishing reports have been excellent, with reports of fish up into the 50s, so we can't wait for our trips this week!  Look for next week's report to see how it went.  The Black Hawk begins our 7 days a week sailing schedule on Saturday, June 12th.  We're really looking forward to our "After Work Special", which will run Thursdays and Fridays from 4pm to 10pm.  Should be a great time to get some good fish.  

 The Black Hawk had a great week of fishing! Several private charters during the week went very well, with most trips catching their limit of bass. Simply put, there has been excellent fishing during the day trips.  Night trips started this week, with our first night trip of the season being on Wednesday night.  What was supposed to be "possible scattered thunderstorms" turned into a squall, with 45 mph winds, thunder, lighting, and pouring rain.  The weather certainly didn't cooperate and hampered the fishing, but we still managed to get a good number of bass on board, including some up to 38 pounds.  The weekend had excellent fishing.  Saturday morning was spectacular, with loads of bass.  We're also noticing more and more blues around, and some bigger ones too.  The afternoon trip was a bit slower, but still had a good number of fish.  As of this report, the Black Hawk left the dock at 6:00 am Sunday morning and is hoping for a day like Saturday.  The Black Hawk will begin sailing on Fridays starting this Friday, June 4, with our full 7 days a week schedule starting on June 11.  June Night trips are still available as well- Visit the website for details.  

Greg from the Black Hawk reports that this week was a week of overall some of the best bass fishing we've ever seen.  We had charters during the week- Joe Caise from Norwich brought his crew with him, and everybody caught their limit and we were throwing them back.  On Thursday, the Tony Murphy party of Berlin had fantastic fishing.  Over the weekend, the morning trips were not as good as the afternoon trips.  Saturday afternoon's trip was nothing short of spectacular- a boat full of people and a boat full of bass.  Diamond jigs and three waying are still the best way to catch ‘em.  With these kind of results during the daytime hours, we're really looking forward to our night trips, which start this week.   A few spaces are still available; call (860-448-3662) for details and more info.