I did not know what to expect when Cod Fishing on Kayman Charters. I had heard about people pulling in over 1000k pounds of Cod and Pollock in a day but never experienced it. I personally have a 25 foot boat and go 2-3 times a year to Tilles bank with decent very mixed results. I was sure we would have a pretty good day given the amazing reputation Kevin has and I had seen him in various fishing magazines, but had no idea I was about to blow out the muscles in my right arm reeling in non stop! We steamed out early and passed though Gloucester harbor in the dark. The guys on the boat all chit chatted as we steamed out and told stories of fishing and hunting and got the juices flowing. We saw a dolphin fin that we thought was a shark in the wake and then it started proposing and chasing us a bit. That is always a nice bonus to see Dolphins, whales, offshore birds like gannet and shearwaters etc. and other signs of life.

When we pulled up to Stellwagen Bank, we all started to slowly but eagerly get our lines in the water and then, two seconds later, one guy was on and for the rest of the day it was mayhem. We would drop our jigs as we made a drift and at times all six guys were on at once. It was more a show off contest of who had the biggest Cod or Pollock. Every now and then your rod would bend and you and everyone else knew that you were on a big fat granddaddy of a fish. When you pulled in it there were cheers and subtle jokes about how your spot was the best even though everyone had their share of the monsters…After what felt like hours and hours of fishing and in fact truly felt like a full day I went in to get a snack and check the time on my cell phone. 9:55! I could not believe it, we had caught tote after of tote of fish for so long and it was so absorbing I had gone into a time warp. I expected to see maybe 2:00 or 3:00…So I refueled and got back into the flow. The only problem was my right arm was sore after a while but that subsided when you felt you were on another big fish. The thing that really blew me away was how the deck hand started filleting fish and did not stop until we hit the dock. I am not sure how he can do that…

Not every day is like the cold action packed day I had but if anyone has the skills to increase consistency in a sport that is often frustrating, it is Captain Kevin Twombley of Kayman Charters. He is truly a good guy and makes your trip comfortable but when it comes to getting on the fish, he is truly a master. Anytime our drifts started producing less and there was a slight lull, we would motor to a new spot for incredibly productive drifts. A couple guys that had been out with him several times were on this trip and they claim that Kevin can not only find the fish but land you on the species you want. Everyone wanted cod this day but he kept asking, “ok, so let me know what fish you want to get on, Cod, Pollock Haddock, Wolf Fish etc.” Apparently he has a direct line to each school of fish.

Kevin with two cod

Cod make great pets

fresh cod and pollock