Marshfield Neck - Plymouth, MA Fishing Report on 7th Jul, 2024

Anyone who knows Captain Mark Rowell knows that the Legit Fish Charters skipper is a practitioner of the calm, cool, collective mindset. That resolve was sorely tested on Sunday when he put a charter in position to land the fish of a lifetime – a monster Atlantic halibut! Mark is no stranger to landing the world’s largest flatfish, so when he pegs the weight at 200 pounds that estimate is – legit! The venue was Stone Ledge, the quarry was haddock but the captain and the crew were ready for the ever-present prospects of hooking into something far larger. In between a good pick of haddock and off-season market cod, one of the anglers came up with a cod and en eviscerated whiting on one of the rigs. While some might blame a shark for the damage done to the whiting, Mark immediately recognized the signature chomp of a halibut. His hunch was confirmed by live imaging on his Lawrence electronics which had the captain and first mate struggling to catch their breath. broken rod This broken rod and tattered braid was all that was left from a duel with a monster halibut aboard Legit Fish. The captain immediately dropped the half a whiting towards the bottom when the rod bent and shook from the weight of what he knew was the halibut. His Contender is equipped with conventional gear suited for such warfare and while it took a while, the captain and mate were well on their way towards landing that halibut when the rod was passed among the patrons on board. The barn door sized halibut was but a few feet away with Mark at the ready with a harpoon when one of the crew grabbed the top of the rod causing it to break. The broken blank was bad enough, but the resulting fraying of the 80 pound braid as they still tried to land the fish proved lethal. The reaction of most captains after losing such a fish would have been loud enough to jam nearby GPS units but Mark gave a typical “meh, we’ll get ‘em next time” shrug. That next time may be soon enough because Mark has on good authority that that fish was not alone! Just maybe best of all, those beasts are within 7 miles of the shoreline! "on the water"