Video of one of our younger fisherman
07/20/10 12:06
- Here’s a video of Luke as he reels in a striped bass. Great job!
Interview with Captain Kevin O'Maley
07/15/09 15:59
Many of the people who contact Connemara Bay Charters for the first time have all sorts of questions. We thought we’d try and answer some of them in this post by asking Captain Kevin O’Maley his thoughts. Let us know if you want to see any other subjects tackled.
Q: When you go deep sea fishing, what do you generally catch?
A: The offshore, deep-sea trips are mainly for cod and haddock.
Q: How about tuna?
A: We usually go for Tuna in July and August. Cod and haddock season runs from late April all the way right through into the fall. The tuna fishing season starts in late June and runs into the fall. Tuna charters are all offshore -- from ten to twenty-five miles out.
Q: And what about striped bass?
A: Striped bass and bluefish are an inshore trip. Sometimes we are fishing a stone’s throw off the shoreline off islands; other times we are three miles out trying to catch strippers.
Q: What kind of help do you have for the novice fisherman? Does a guest have to bring a rod and reel?
A: Our trips include all the tackle you’ll need, including rods, reels, bait, etc. There’s also a mate on board to provide any instruction if you are a novice fisherman or fisherwoman. More experienced anglers are welcome to bring their own tackle and supplies. We also supply ice to ensure your catch will be fresh after being cleaned and packaged by the mate.
Q: What about alcohol? What’s your policy?
A: Some beer and wine are fine. We don’t tolerate drugs on board, and no excessive drinking is tolerated. This is a charter and people are welcome to bring some drinks along, but the focus should be on fishing, lobstering, sightseeing, and having a good time.
Q: What kinds of trips do you offer? Do you have a full day or half day trip?
A: The offshore charters are full day trips -- 8 to 9 hours -- that includes tuna, cod, and haddock trips. The in-shore trips for bass and blue fish can be full or half day trips. We can also provide a customized trip. For example, we might combine bass and blue fishing with lobstering. The lobstering portion of the trip is experiential in nature. Individuals will have the opportunity to haul traps, remove the catch, and bait the traps. At the conclusion of the trip hopefully you’ll walk away with a bucket full of fish fillets, lobsters, and the opportunity to take those home to eat or we can hook you up with a local restaurant. For a five dollar service charge at a local restaurant you can go and eat your catch at the conclusion of your trip.
Q: What kind of a crew do you have and what experience do you have?
A: I’m a Gloucester native. I’ve lived here my whole life and started fishing in my middle school years and eventually was a mate on a sport-fishing boat, then a captain on a sport-fishing boat. At the age of 24 I purchased my own commercial lobster boat which I use for commercial tuna fishing, striped bass fishing, lobstering, and chartering as well. I've been a licensed merchant marine captain for 27 years. My primary mate is my son who has been fishing with me his entire life. He is passionate about being on the water and enjoys sharing his knowledge about fishing.
Q: What kind of a boat is the Connemara Bay?
A: The boat is a thirty-seven foot downeast Maine boat -- a classic lobster boat. It is a Repco manufactured fiberglass hull. The boat is an excellent sea boat with plenty of deck space for fishing and can handle the sea and all weather if necessary. She also has heat in the cabin and head (bathroom) facilities below deck. The boat is powered by a Caterpillar 3208 naturally-aspirated diesel engine and is equipped with all necessary U.S. Coast Guard approved equipment for charter vessels. Additionally the boat is considered high-sided, meaning the sides of the boat are hip height. This provides additional safety, especially for younger children.
What you’re going to get on this boat is a hard-working crew and a great fishing experience, whether the goal is lobstering, tuna fishing, or stripper fishing. And all at a reasonable price. You will not all get the frills you may get on some of the other boats. You won’t be watching the television or anything like that. This is a fishing boat and we go for the fish.
Q: Are family charters common?
A: We do an excellent job creating a family-friendly environment. We provide an opportunity for everyone in the family to participate in some aspect of the trip.
Q: Do guests need to bring boots, sunglasses, or food?
A: I’d have plenty of layers of clothing in the event we have a little bit of air going and it gets cool. I think the most important thing is to have sun block and sunglasses. If you have rubber boots or skins, bring those as well. The bottom line is you can always change into the different clothing based on the changing weather. Check our web site for a complete list of what we recommend to bring.
Q: What’s the limit on the numbers of people you can take on the boat? Is there any age limit?
A: The maximum number of passengers is of six. We can tweak the trip to whatever suits your fancy. We’ve had trips with children as young as four- and five-years-old. In that case, we usually change things around: A little bit of fishing, a little bit of lobstering -- whatever makes it so the time is experiential, interesting, and fun for younger children.
Q: When you go deep sea fishing, what do you generally catch?
A: The offshore, deep-sea trips are mainly for cod and haddock.
Q: How about tuna?
A: We usually go for Tuna in July and August. Cod and haddock season runs from late April all the way right through into the fall. The tuna fishing season starts in late June and runs into the fall. Tuna charters are all offshore -- from ten to twenty-five miles out.
Q: And what about striped bass?
A: Striped bass and bluefish are an inshore trip. Sometimes we are fishing a stone’s throw off the shoreline off islands; other times we are three miles out trying to catch strippers.
Q: What kind of help do you have for the novice fisherman? Does a guest have to bring a rod and reel?
A: Our trips include all the tackle you’ll need, including rods, reels, bait, etc. There’s also a mate on board to provide any instruction if you are a novice fisherman or fisherwoman. More experienced anglers are welcome to bring their own tackle and supplies. We also supply ice to ensure your catch will be fresh after being cleaned and packaged by the mate.
Q: What about alcohol? What’s your policy?
A: Some beer and wine are fine. We don’t tolerate drugs on board, and no excessive drinking is tolerated. This is a charter and people are welcome to bring some drinks along, but the focus should be on fishing, lobstering, sightseeing, and having a good time.
Q: What kinds of trips do you offer? Do you have a full day or half day trip?
A: The offshore charters are full day trips -- 8 to 9 hours -- that includes tuna, cod, and haddock trips. The in-shore trips for bass and blue fish can be full or half day trips. We can also provide a customized trip. For example, we might combine bass and blue fishing with lobstering. The lobstering portion of the trip is experiential in nature. Individuals will have the opportunity to haul traps, remove the catch, and bait the traps. At the conclusion of the trip hopefully you’ll walk away with a bucket full of fish fillets, lobsters, and the opportunity to take those home to eat or we can hook you up with a local restaurant. For a five dollar service charge at a local restaurant you can go and eat your catch at the conclusion of your trip.
Q: What kind of a crew do you have and what experience do you have?
A: I’m a Gloucester native. I’ve lived here my whole life and started fishing in my middle school years and eventually was a mate on a sport-fishing boat, then a captain on a sport-fishing boat. At the age of 24 I purchased my own commercial lobster boat which I use for commercial tuna fishing, striped bass fishing, lobstering, and chartering as well. I've been a licensed merchant marine captain for 27 years. My primary mate is my son who has been fishing with me his entire life. He is passionate about being on the water and enjoys sharing his knowledge about fishing.
Q: What kind of a boat is the Connemara Bay?
A: The boat is a thirty-seven foot downeast Maine boat -- a classic lobster boat. It is a Repco manufactured fiberglass hull. The boat is an excellent sea boat with plenty of deck space for fishing and can handle the sea and all weather if necessary. She also has heat in the cabin and head (bathroom) facilities below deck. The boat is powered by a Caterpillar 3208 naturally-aspirated diesel engine and is equipped with all necessary U.S. Coast Guard approved equipment for charter vessels. Additionally the boat is considered high-sided, meaning the sides of the boat are hip height. This provides additional safety, especially for younger children.
What you’re going to get on this boat is a hard-working crew and a great fishing experience, whether the goal is lobstering, tuna fishing, or stripper fishing. And all at a reasonable price. You will not all get the frills you may get on some of the other boats. You won’t be watching the television or anything like that. This is a fishing boat and we go for the fish.
Q: Are family charters common?
A: We do an excellent job creating a family-friendly environment. We provide an opportunity for everyone in the family to participate in some aspect of the trip.
Q: Do guests need to bring boots, sunglasses, or food?
A: I’d have plenty of layers of clothing in the event we have a little bit of air going and it gets cool. I think the most important thing is to have sun block and sunglasses. If you have rubber boots or skins, bring those as well. The bottom line is you can always change into the different clothing based on the changing weather. Check our web site for a complete list of what we recommend to bring.
Q: What’s the limit on the numbers of people you can take on the boat? Is there any age limit?
A: The maximum number of passengers is of six. We can tweak the trip to whatever suits your fancy. We’ve had trips with children as young as four- and five-years-old. In that case, we usually change things around: A little bit of fishing, a little bit of lobstering -- whatever makes it so the time is experiential, interesting, and fun for younger children.