With combined fishing experience of hundreds of years available to participants, seminar tickets were oversold for the second year in a row and we anticipated a large and enthusiastic crew of anglers. Yesterday’s festivities kicked off with a coffee fueled meet and greet hosted by Greg Sears, Steve James, and the rest of the Mass Bay Guides crew. Presentations began shortly after with ongoing hands-on discussions and demonstrations available in the workshop room and subject talks and demonstrations available all day long in the main event room.

Mass Bay Guides professional Captains Greg, Bryan, and Taylor Sears, Captain Don Campbell, and Captains Dave and Ed Newell presented on topics from the hunt for big game fish, striped bass fishing, and fishing tactics and tackle, to understanding and navigating local fishing grounds, basic marine maintenance and preparing and dressing a tuna.

Other featured speakers included Ken Fraser, the IGFA all tackle blue fin tuna world record holder (1496 pounds, caught off of Nova Scotia in 1979), who recounted his world record landing experience, and a presentation by the Bruce Brothers of Prince Edward Island, considered the Historic Sport Tuna Fishing Capital of the World. Jeff Corwin from the Discovery Channel, Animal Planet, NBC, and the Food Network wrapped up the day with a talk about New England fisheries and the potential impact of the gulf spill on our blue fin tuna population.

Attendees ranged from new boat owners and new anglers to experienced and seasoned fishermen – the seminar catered to enthusiasts with all levels of knowledge and experience. Our many sponsors included, Old Harbor Outfitters, Belsen’s Bait and Tackle, Bluefin Graphics, Reckless Abandon Lures, C-Creatures Tackle, Squid Bars Co., & A to Z Marine, among others and they were all available to offer expert advice as well as their products and services at a discount to Mass Bay Guides customers and seminar attendees.

The day wrapped up with a raffle which included thousands of dollars in prizes donated from our sponsors, with proceeds benefiting the Stellwagen Bank Charter Boat Association, the American Bluefin Tuna Association, and the Recreational Fishing Alliance. Thank you to everyone for their participation in making this years seminar such a success!

Captain Don Campbell
www.Labradorfishingcharters.com
www.massbayguides.com