The Secrets to Successful
Deep Sea Fishing in Massachusetts

Deep Sea Fishing in Massachusetts has a proud heritage. Native Americans fished these waters long before the Europeans arrived, and they taught the settlers how to catch the fish and the whales in the area. Today, sophisticated equipment helps locate the fish… but from then on it’s human against fish, same as it’s been for thousands of years.

Since writing this interview Capt. Mike Evensen caught a new Massachusetts record for Porbeagle Shark. The shark weighed in at a staggering 455-pound and a length of 7.5 feet!

The fish was too big to land in the boat and so they towed it for three hours back to their home port of Scituate.

Mike and his crew were fishing about 30 miles from the Scituate shore.

To discover why this catch is no "accident" for Mike and his crew read the interview below...

The cold Atlantic, plentiful baitfish, and varied species found off the coast of Massachusetts, make this area one of the top destinations in the world for Sport Fishing.

Recently I interviewed Capt. Mike Evensen, one of the most experienced and successful skippers operating charters for deep sea fishing in Massachusetts.

Mike runs his charter service out of Scituate Harbor. He prefers to offer trips to groups of 4-6 people rather than competing with the large charter boats. Mike grew up fishing around Cape Cod Bay, and these remain the waters he likes to take his friends - as he calls his customers - to fish.

I asked Mike to share his knowledge of deep sea fishing in Massachusetts and provide some pointers to having a successful and memorable fishing charter trip for my visitors.

CLIFF: Mike thanks so much for talking with me today. Can you start by explaining what makes the area off Cape Cod so popular for deep sea fishing in Massachusetts?

MIKE: Sure Cliff. Stellwagen Bank is an underwater plateau located north of Provincetown on the outermost tip of Cape Cod. It consists of a sand and gravel bottom, which provides home to the sand lance (or sand eel). At the bottom of the food chain these baitfish attract many predators including Bluefin tuna, Stripers, Bluefish, shark and whales.

The Stellwagen Bank area is where we head for most of our deep sea fishing chartering. One of my favorite destinations for near-shore sports fishing is Race Point just off the beaches of Provincetown. Race Point’s current and bottom topography provide a home to the sand lance as well as the predators that feed on them.

Knowing how to fish certain tides, depths, and boat speed is very important to fish these locations.

CLIFF: What species of fish are people most likely to catch and does it vary by season?

MIKE: Well, let me answer that by describing what we’ve seen work best through the many years we’ve been running deep sea fishing in Massachusetts charters off the coast. We target a variety of fish in various locations. Spring and late fall we normally see an abundance of Cod and Haddock on Stellwagen Bank. In the summer months we have to travel east of the bank into deeper water to catch these species. Late spring through the summer and fall we target Striped Bass and Bluefish.

For our near-shore sport fishing we normally fish Race Point but we also fish Billingsgate Shoal and the ledges off Cohasset as well. Tuna can be caught mid summer through late fall around Cape Cod bay, Stellwagen Bank, and east of Stellwagen.

CLIFF: What’s your best advice to help people choose a sport fishing charter trip and prepare for a successful and enjoyable day?

MIKE: First, don’t be afraid to inquire about the safety elements on a charter and the experience of the crew, and talk directly with the skipper. Any professional skipper running a small charter will understand the questions and be only too happy to provide answers. Inexperienced skippers, untrained mates, no backup communications equipment, are all recipes for creating dangerous situations when deep sea fishing in Massachusetts.

As a skipper who has fished these waters since my hands could hold a fishing pole, I put passenger safety first with a full compliment of safety gear including an emergency beacon locator (epirb) and 2 VHF radios.

All the crew is CPR certified and is subject to mandatory drug testing.

With many years of experience, knowledge of local waters and a partnership with other captains, I continue to have great success season after season.

As regards preparation, you’ll usually be traveling across open water so bring a sweatshirt. Other necessary items are sunscreen, camera, lunch, drinks, and cooler to take home your catch. I’ve found on my charters even the novice fisherman can have a very successful day as our mates are very knowledgeable and will explain our techniques and assist in anyway possible to make sure everyone has a safe and enjoyable day. Our mates are also skilled in filleting your catch for you during the ride back to port.

CLIFF: I have to ask this even though I’m sure you’re asked it all the time: Got any best “secrets” for catching the most fish?

MIKE: Well, let me tell you the secret to my success and then talk about technique. One of the reasons for our Striper success is the use of custom-made jigs by a local fisherman (and friend). These lures are designed by color and size to closely resemble the baits in our waters. We use custom-made squid bars as well for Tuna fishing for the same reasons.

While jigging with wire line it is extremely important to maintain proper position on the bottom drop-off at Race Point, maintaining proper boat speed, and by always keeping the wire line tight when fighting a fish. Any slack in the line allows the fish enough leverage to work his way free with a quick shake of the head. And this can make all the difference between returning to the dock with yet another story of the “one that got away” or a memorable photo to proudly hang on your wall.

One final point Cliff before I get back to working on my boat. Over the year’s I’ve been transformed from a fisherman to teacher. I believe this is where I really found a desire to turn to chartering, as I find it very enjoyable to see people of all skill and age levels have great time deep sea fishing in Massachusetts.

You just can’t beat catching a fighting striper off Race Point in the morning and then grilling it for a mouthwatering dinner just a few hours later. It doesn’t get any better and fresher – not even at a seaside restaurant!

CLIFF: Thank you Mike for your time and the information you’ve shared generously with my visitors about near-shore and deep sea fishing in Massachusetts.

Mike can be reached for information and scheduling at (781) 696-0876 or you can visit his deep sea fishing charter web site by clicking here.

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