Nantucket Fishing Charters | Capt. Shawn Bristow | Fly Fishing and Light Tackle Fishing on Nantucket, MA

Bonito, Mahi, Yellowfin and Marlin

shawn — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 23:34:16 +0000

Sounds like a lot, the bonito have shown up inshore on the bar and our edges to the west. I want to congratulate Jack Williams for catching his first bonito ever, I’m sure there will be many more to come.
On the offshore front, we took a trip a trip south last week and managed to have luck catching bonito, mahi and yellowfin, we also raised a marlin, maybe a second one as well. Once this weather pushes through the fishing should be wide open. For those interested in the Bluefin bite, it is ON!!! Large fish being caught with some keepers in the mix as well. For those who do not know the Bluefin retention limits as of right now are 1 fish, between 27″ and 59″…

Great White Sharks spotted in Chatham, MA

shawn — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 10:28:26 +0000

Here is a new site to keep you eye on. These guys are from the Cape and have the job of tracking Great White Sharks in the Cape Cod area. To check out their site, visit: capecodsharkhunters.com

Here is the latest reports from the Cape Cod Shark Hunters:

July 27, 2010 - Seven great white sharks spotted off of South Beach near Chatham Harbor. Sharks ranged in size from 10-18 feet. One 14 foot female was tagged wiht a pop up tag about 150 feet from shore. Shark Hunters advise people to be aware of their surroundings while bathing. Do not swim around groups of seals or in murky water. If you do see a shark, do your best not to startle it and DO NOT splash water. Quickly and calmly get to the beach and notify your harbormaster or the Shark Hunters.

July 25, 2010 - Three great white sharks sighted, one off the tip of Monomoy Island and the other two near the north break of Chatham Harbor. One shark was confirmed sighted by beachgoers from the shore. Shark Hunters gear up to attempt to tag sharks on July 27, 2010.

July 20, 2010 - George Breen sights 15 foot great white shark stalking seals south of Lighthouse Beach on the Eastern side of Cape Cod. In a failed attempt to attack a seal, the shark beached itself in shallow water but was able to turn around and swim back out to sea.

Tuna, Bluefish and Stripers in good numbers…

shawn — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 19:52:03 +0000

The fishing the past 2 weeks has continued to be very good. We have spent a lot of time offshore fishing for Bluefin Tuna and the results have been great! We are averaging a caught fish on every trip, with a couple charters hooking and landing multiple tuna in a morning. The fish are large, averaging 70-77″(200-250 pound class), with a couple smaller ones in the mix. The new bluefin retention limits are one fish between 27″ and 59″. Even though we are catching tuna the majority are being swam back to life to live another day. While out tuna fishing we have also been coming across large schools of stripers and bluefish, though we are not targeting these fish, the acre size schools and very exciting to see. On the inshore front the bluefishing continues to be world class, with double digit fish being caught everyday. We are also on the hunt the elusive atlantic bonito. We have seen a few, but we are yet to catch one. For those of you interested in bottom fishing, the black sea bass fishing is top notch, with 20″ plus fish being taken on every trip. The fluke fishing has slowed, but still managing a couple legal fish a trip. We also have some exotic fish on the wrecks. Last week we caught trigger fish and parrot fish, both a first for me in these waters!

Giant Bluefin Tuna Caught on Spinning Gear

shawn — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 22:37:41 +0000

Just a quick note and some pictures from yesterdays adventure. Congrats to Fred Jordan for battling a Giant bluefin on a spinning rod for 1:25 minutes!!! Fred was the only person to fight this fish in the 90 degree heat! Click on the pictures below to get a better look…

Giant Bluefin Tuna Caught on Spinning Gear

shawn — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 23:13:55 +0000

June Striper fishing on Nantucket is best Ever!

shawn — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 21:01:00 +0000

Well, the bass fishing the past couple weeks has been nothing but spectacular. Though the water is warmer than normal, the Striped Bass here on Nantucket have not seemed to mind. This past week we managed to catch the following Bass: 35# on Fly, 25 fish over 30# on spin gear, and 1 fish over 40#, with the average fish being 15-20#. The total striper catch for June is 610 fish, a truly great month!!! There is some cause for concern though. We have been catching lot of large fish, where are the small ones? I can remember years when in the spring we could catch tons of little fish, 15-25 inches. This year was not one of those years. So, out of the 610 Stripers we have caught this June only one fish was taken for dinner.
If you are interested in catching bluefish, july is the month for you. We have a great number of blues around the island now, and july is sure to bring more. The Tuna fishing is heating up, with some big fish being caught. The National Marine Fisheries has posted the new limits for this summer, 1 fish between 27-59 inches, and 1 fish over 73 inches. The majority of the fish we have been catching are in the 59 to 73 inch slot!!! There has been some great top water action and a consistent troll bite as well…

Nantucket Fishing Continues to Improve

shawn — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 17:38:43 +0000

Just a real quick update… The fishing on Nantucket is in full swing. There are plenty of fish to catch, both Striper and Blues. The fish have not been huge, yet, most fish in the 10-15# range. We are finding fish in the shallows and well as the deep. The tuna’s have started to show, nice fish up to 70″. I will keep you all posted and as we continue to fish… If you would like to book a charter, click here See you on Nantucket!!!

Now Booking for the 2010 Season

shawn — Wed, 26 May 2010 15:54:49 +0000

Capt. Shawn Bristow and Squaretail Outfitters is now booking for 2010 fishing season on Nantucket. The fish have arrived on island, with schoolie size bass being caught on the southside. I would expect the larger fish to start showing mid-June and great bass fishing to continue through mid-July. Bluefish will show sometime in mid-June, with the largest of the fish to be in by the end of June. Tuna fishing season traditionally has started the end of June, with fish being caught into October. Last year was a great year for the Tunas, so book early to get your spot. If you are interested in booking an inshore or offshore fishing charter with Capt. Shawn please send an email to captshawn@mac.com We look forward to spending to day on the water!!!

Memorial Day Weekend 2010. Stripers are here!!

shawn — Wed, 26 May 2010 15:38:40 +0000

Just a quick update: The bass are here!!! Keepers are being caught all around the Island. Most of the fishing is close to the beach where the water is warm. I still have a couple available fishing slots open for the holiday weekend. The weather looks good, if your interested in fishing, give me a call at 603.498.9518 or send me an email at captshawn@mac.com

Book a Nantucket Fishing Charter

shawn — Wed, 26 May 2010 15:13:05 +0000

Charter Fishing Registration form:

Thank you for your interest in fishing on Nantucket. This form does NOT guarantee your fishing charter. Capt. Shawn will contact you within 24hrs either by phone or email to establish a fishing date.Thank You!