Stay Away these are my fish !!

[Captain Greg Sears]

Everyone has experienced that feeling of anger when someone comes to close or jumps a school of fish you have been working. I have had this feeling many times. I have been full time charter fishing for a little over ten years. I used to get all upset when someone followed me or came to close to me when I was tuna fishing. I have acted childish and screamed and accosted people in the past. I apologize to anyone I have done this to. The past few years I have learned that I do not own the Ocean and either do you.

Communicating like an adult is probably the best way to avoid confrontation. But some people refuse to communicate or think everyone is reading their mind. Most of you know I fish every day from April until Nov. I am always monitoring channel 69 because this seems to be the main working channel for the Stellwagen fleet.

This week I had two altercations with fishermen I have never seen before. One was a small Blue center console it is a nice boat looked like a Novi style hull. This instance I was in a tight fleet of about 10 boats drifting with live bait. Fred "Akula" and myself where so close our baits where breading with each other. We communicated like gentlemen kept bumping away from each other. I was watching Fred's Balloon get smashed and he was watching my kite get smashed. The conditions of the drift kept bringing us back together. I decided I was going to move because Fred was there first but as I started to pull away I was trapped between 6 boats all within 100 yards of one another. I picked the best route I could find and it lead me between two boats. I announced on Channel 69 that I apologize for getting to close to the two boats and I proceeded to pass slowly. One of the boats hailed me back and said "no problem thanks for the heads up", The other boat did not respond ( The boat mentioned above). After I crossed through, the center console boat got on the radio, he seemed to know me because he called me Greg but he did not say his name or boat name. He started swearing at me he called me an A hole and a jerk and then he just kept going on and on how much of an A hole I was for getting to close. Oh by the way he came in behind my drift after I was already there. Fred was the first guy to set up there so if anyone owned that spot it should have been Fred. If the blue boat guy listened to my comments instead of screaming bloody murder he would have known I had no choice and I apologize for picking those two boats to go between. I did see his balloons and kept as far away as I could but I also had a kite I had to avoid on the other side so I gave both boats equal distance. I did not have to say anything to anyone because none of them own that spot. I could have put a bait out right there next to his bait if I wanted to be an A hole.

The next altercation I had was with a stick boat named "Back Off". I did not recognize this boat mainly because I am not normally fishing near them. But lately the harpoon boats have been working close to the rod and reel fleet. I know a couple of the stick boat guys and they know me. When I see a guy on the pulpit chasing fish I give them right of way and I hope I get to see them stick one. I had this experience the other day and the spotter plane thanked me for stepping off. Then the spotter plane watched me catch one on the troll and he called me to tell me 20 fish where following my rigs and he watched one come up and grab a squid bar. I always wanted to harpoon, I even bought a harpoon boat but charter boats are not allowed to harpoon even when they are fishing in general category. The last couple of weeks the harpoon boats and planes have been working the same bunches of fish that the recreational and general guys are working. I have been fishing on the backside for about a month and it seems to be the only place to catch fish lately. Two days ago I was trolling the 130 foot depth line I started at the Old PH buoy and trolled south. I was just south of the golf ball following some whales. The stick boat " Back Off " passed me. He stopped about 1/2 mile in front of me, a guy got out on the pulpit and it looked like they where checking out behind the whales? The guy got off the pulpit and went up on the tower with the captain. They then proceeded to slowly move south about 1/2 mile ahead of me. I ran into a school of bluefish and got all my rigs smashed. As my crew was reeling in the bluefish I noticed the "Back Off" turned around and started steaming full speed right at me? They pulled up beside me and started screaming at me like I stole there bluefish or like I cut them off or something? The captain kept calling me an A hole and proceeded to full steam towards my rigs like he was going to cut them off and then turned at the last minute then came back to wake my passengers and tolled me to go back to P town?? Then he kept turning any way I turned I guess so he could keep me from any fish? I just kept trolling south he finally left me alone. Not sure what I did to piss this guy off but I assume it was a case of him owning that spot or what ever was around those whales? He had no spotter plane or was anyone on the pulpit? I was just trolling the same way. There was not even any fish there I found them 5 miles southeast of there? No stick boats or planes they where all up fishing around the fleet.

I owned that spot ... LOL ... Because no one else was there.

I apologize for being an A hole....

[Nshore50]

Greg, I don't thing an apology is warranted with Back Off. I've fished both stick and rod and reel for more than 30 years. I've always tried to be respectful out there, but some people don't deserve any, because they could care less about you, and he is one of them. I've had similar confrontations with him. Trolling, baiting a bunch that were staying up nicely for me, only to have him steam from a 1/2 mile behind me, go around me and throw at the bunch I was trying to get rigger bait on. He IS an A-hole. People like him could care less about you or your efforts. You're just in his way.

I think it's also funny that the way you're treated by other fishermen sometimes seems to be directly proportionate to the boat you're in. I hardly ever had issues when I was running a large sportfish with a tower etc... But try doing the same thing in a 20' bayliner....

I think you're right though, communication is key.

[c parks]

Do you think the name of his boat might just give you a clue about his character?

[Boatbanker]

Vessel Name: BACK OFF
USCG Doc. No.: 911958
Vessel Service: COMMERCIAL FISHING VESSEL


Owner: SHAWN F SULLIVAN
3 DUCK POND RD.
SOUTH DENNIS, MA 02660



IMO Number: *
Trade Indicator: Fishery Call Sign: *
Hull Material: FRP (FIBERGLASS) Hull Number: DUJ05224-J68
Ship Builder: DUFFY & DUFFY FIBERGLASS BOAT INC
Year Built: 1987
Length (ft.): 35
Hailing Port: DENNIS MA
Hull Depth (ft.): 6.2
Hull Breadth (ft.): 11.9
Gross Tonnage: 17
Net Tonnage: 13
Documentation Issuance Date: January 24, 2011
Documentation Expiration Date: January 31, 2012
Previous Vessel Names: No Vessel Name Changes

Vessel Owners: SHAWN F SULLIVAN

[backman]

Read Giant Bluefin by Whynott.

Then Back Off!

[portagee]

nice job boatbanker, I expect Shawny boy ends up with a stuffed mailbox this week considering Greg's courteous reputation.

[Slamdance]

It's getting nasty out there. On Friday there were at least two close encounters. The first was when someone ran under another boat's anchor line. The second one was someone running under another boat's outrigger line. I gotta wonder who these people are sometimes and where common sense and courtesy have gone?

[horsemackeral]

Greg,

I have met you at a few of the local NMFS meetings and I certainly have the utmost respect for your honesty on the water. I can attest to your seamanship and integrity after listening to you for the last 10 years on channel 69. ( you have inadvertently clued me into more than one bite... thank you) I could not agree more with your frustration with some of the antics on the water.

I will write a letter to the jerk giving him my 2 cents ........

WAFS.

[HarborRd]

The next altercation I had was with a stick boat named "Back Off".

And that's all you needed to say. Many have had altercations with these guys over the years; that will happen until they stop fishing or the fishery is closed.

[Red Headed Stranger]

Capt. Sears I don't think it was you. I'm not a real tuna fisherman but I have outfitted and am trying on days when the fish are in reach and the water is right to go out and maybe hook up on a fish if they are of reasonable size. Last year, this week in fact, I was out there in Cape Cod Bay with a bunch of other CC's and weekend warriors watching the bluefin explode everywhere. It was calm seas, like glass in fact, so I had taken my 10 year old son out with me just to see the tuna that were blowing up everywhere. In the middle of all this is is Capt. Sullivan and I understand he has to make a living which has probably become more difficult given all the charter guys and runners and gunners out there. So anyway all of a sudden a pod of tuna start breaking the surface and since I was keeping a good distance from Capt Sullivan his boat was a lot further away then mine so I started to go towards them and so did he, so I backed down, hey the tuna aren't that important to me here's this guy trying to make a living I'll "Back Off". He actually steams almost towards me and I am in a 20 foot center console, well he nearly swamps me, this wasn't the usual close call where someone steams by and gives you a little wake, this was an intentional close run in to let me know I wasn't welcome and in my view it was totally uncalled for. Now he is really on the fish and I am staying way back from him just watching hoping maybe my friend, my son, and I would get to see him stick a fish. Well the guy in the pulpit starts screaming his head off at me to go find my own fish, really unfortunate behavior.

I get the whole idea behind why he might be frustrated but maybe he should give some thought to his actions because at the end of the day I have to think he and his brother are probably decent guys who would likely regret hurting someone out there.