THE THIRD SEASON ON JEFFERIES: FROM GLOUCESTER ON UP

Labor Day has come and gone and the thoughts of this past summer are still fresh in our minds. Many people start thinking about the rapidly approaching holiday season but fishermen tend to concentrate on the third fishing season.

The third fishing season begins in local waters when the waters start to cool, the "weekend warriors" have put up their boats and the summer species have started their southern migration into warmer waters. This fruitful season provides fishermen the opportunity for some quality ground fishing as well as the chance to stock the freezer with fresh fillets for the upcoming winter months.

One area that is known to offshore fishermen all over New England, well fished by the fleet of party boats, charter boats and an armada of private vessels is a crescent shaped mountain range that starts just off Gloucester and wind up in the Gulf of Maine. It’s shifting currents and mountainous terrain provides prime feeding grounds for numerous species of fish. Haddock, cusk, halibut, wolffish and cod are all common here. This fertile fishing ground is none other than Jefferies Ledge.

Groundfish Time: Over the years, the numbers of haddock have fallen dramatically, but in the past few years the numbers of haddock have rebounded. Many fishermen have experienced the joy of catching more haddock than cod on some trips. Five to eight pound haddock seem to be the rule. Jig fishermen seem to do better than bait fishermen especially when they tip their jig with sea clams. Bait fishermen do well attracting haddock. Cod is readily available and often times fishermen tally limit catches.

During the third season, cod numbers increase as the water temperatures drop and fishermen catch sufficient numbers of fish for a good meal as well as a few fillets for the freezer. There are times that bottom bouncers will hook up with twenty pound cod and sometimes better. Third season cod have hung from the shop scales and pushed the needle of the scale well past the forty pound mark. Years before the decline of the cod fishery, many cod in the sixty pound range were weighed in.

Keep in mind that the weather during this third season can change as fast as you can change your mind. Strong winds cam blow up fast and change direction quickly. Pay attention to the limitations of your boat and keep safety in mind at all times. This is not the time of year to challenge Mother Nature, for if you do, you are sure to lose.

Methods: Jig fishermen will generally tally the most impressive catches. A wide assortment of jig are used with the Hopkins, norwegian style, kastmaster and Zing-ama-jigs among the most popular. Jig weights are usually 17 ounces or better.

Stout rods capable of working these jigs will work to your benefit. Reels capable of handling 50 to 80 pound test line seem to be the most common. The most common are 4/0 and 6/0 reels giving fishermen sufficient line to fish deep water.

Techniques and teasers: The actual technique fir jigging is just about as varied as the fishermen. There is fast jigging, slow jigging, high jigging, low jigging and erratic jigging. Each fishermen claims that he has perfected his style of jigging. Generally, a slow jigging technique with few erratic motions attract the greatest numbers of fish, and quite often the heaviest fish of the trip. The theory being that the largest fish don’t move as fast as the smaller fish and therefor will pass over a quickly moving jig.

Not only does the style of jig you choose help to attract fish but your choice of terminal tackle plays an important role in your formula for success. Whether you decide to use a teaser or not can effect the results of your trip. The added action of a teaser helps to attract fish.

Teasers come in all sorts of sizes, styles and colors. One of the most popular teasers over the years has been the norwegian worm. Placed about 12 inches above the jig or sometimes right on the swivel it often catches fish itself. One teaser that has steadily gained popularity in recent years is the shrimp tail teaser. This soft plastic teaser is made by Zing Products and is rapidly becoming a favorite among ground fishermen. Fishermen are also using a solid bodies squid as a teaser. When rigged properly, it’s tentacles move in a manner that attracts fish.

Deep water jig fishermen are now starting to realize that by adding a light stick above their jig their catch ratios improve significantly. For quite some time fishermen have always shown a preference for the glow-in-the-dark teasers but for some reason they are now finally realizing how good the light sticks work out.

Drifting is another technique that helps fishermen put more fish in the boat. A slow drift allows fishermen to cover a greater amount of ground. If the drift is right, fishermen can stay with a school of fish for quite some time.

Last items: Fishermen that travel to Jefferies will often times trailer their boat to Gloucester as it makes the run a much shorter trip. Jefferies starts just about six miles off Cape Ann. Although a good many trips are made to the edge of the ledge by smaller boats some of the best fishing takes place further out.

There are a couple of thing that you should have that will help to increase you catch substantially. A good depth finder will not only help you find the edges, drop-offs and hills but it also allows you to identify and follow schools of fish. The next thing that will help you in your quest for fish is a LORAN or GPS. These important navigational aids have come down in price and are affordable for even the small boat fisherman.

The following LORAN numbers will bring you to areas that have been productive for a good many fishermen. Give them a try and let us know what you think.

        Hills: 13725.0 X 44341.0                 Edges: 13632.1 X 44349.6

                13612.2 X 44345.1                            13670.0 X 44338.0

                13662.1 X 44350.0                            13698.4 X 44346.1

                13709.5 X 44334.6

                13610.0 X 44337.5