In his 40-plus years in Boothbay Harbor, charter boat captain, magazine editor, registered Maine Guide and recreational fishing expert Capt. Barry Gibson has heard a few fishing tales and created many more. Recently honored by Boating Writers International with first and third place awards for the best Boating Writing of 2014, Gibson took a few minutes out of his busy summer to discuss the state of recreational fishing in the area, the changing attitudes of sports fishermen and the story of an entire species that got away. 

The Massachusetts native bought his first charter boat, the Sasanoa, in 1971 after his father gave him a good faith loan. The charter boat business back in the ’70s was brisk and the competition stiff. 

“When I first started everybody fished for codfish,” said Gibson. “Here we are 45 years later and there are very few codfish left.”

With the absence of cod, recreational fishermen turned their attention to bluefish, an aggressive fish prized for their tenacity and ability to challenge even the strongest of anglers. The healthy stock of bluefish in local waters spawned a cottage industry with popular fishing tournaments and packed charter boats catering to out-of-state fishermen.

The abundance of blues created such a stir (and stink) that many rivers were covered in dead pogies (the primary prey of bluefish) periodically in the 1990s. Here in Boothbay Harbor, locals recall a summer when one could literally walk across the water on the backs of decaying, rotten pogies killed by a lack of oxygen. With the glory days seemingly here to stay, a funny thing happened; slowly but surely the bluefish stock began to disappear in the early 2000s, a change Gibson had anticipated.

“The bluefish population waxes and wanes on a 20-year cycle. Maine is on the northern end of the migration. The epicenter is in Chesapeake Bay where there are still bluefish.”

When the bluefish stock starts to dwindle, it does so north to south, said Gibson. 

“Massachusetts has plenty of bluefish so I think we will see them return to Maine waters eventually but maybe not in the same numbers,” he said. 

With bluefish gone, striped bass has become the bread and butter of the charter fishing industry. Thankfully the stocks are healthy; Gibson has seen an abundance of fish in the 10-16 inch range, a good sign because it indicates multiple-year classes for the stock, he said.

“Our striped bass come from two places: the Chesapeake Bay or the Hudson River. A good sign of a healthy stock of fish is a mixed-year class. If you don’t have little ones mixed with big ones, that’s when fishery managers get nervous.”

While striped bass continue to thrive, the demise of the cod was vexing to Gibson. Boothbay Harbor had a species of codfish unique to the area known as the Sheepscot Bay race. 

“These cod would spawn at the mouth of the Sheepscot Bay every year for the last 10,000 years,” said Gibson. “They would populate this area and even out to Monhegan Island and beyond.”

The cod were so aggregated they would be on top of each other and provided an easy catch for weekend fishermen drawn to Boothbay Harbor for the experience. It was considered one of the greatest cod fish ports in the world. On any given day, four or more party boats would catch thousands of pounds of cod fishing within sight of shore, said Gibson.

In the late 1970s, commercial fishermen began using draggers and pair trawling (dragging a huge net between boats) to harvest the cod but unwittingly wiped out the entire breeding stock.

“They crushed the stock. No one knew any better. There were not enough mommies and daddies left to make babies,” he explained. “This was only over the course of a few years. They are all gone now.”

Gibson maintains a three or four day a week schedule from his slip at Brown’s Wharf on Atlantic Avenue. The charter boat seekers of today — while still enthusiastic — are not as patient as they used to be.

“I’ve noticed that if I don’t call back within a few hours, they find something else,” he said. “I still have an answering machine and don’t give out my cellphone number.”

Gibson has many repeat customers who have come to trust his knowledge and expertise. Having fished with hundreds of people over the years, one pair of unlikely anglers continue to stick out; the sausage tycoon Jimmy Dean and his friend Grand Ole Opry country music star Little Jimmy Dickens. 

“Jimmy Dean would have this enormous spread of food for a day’s trip, enough for a month,” said Gibson. “Little Jimmy was in his 60s at the time, he couldn't have been taller than four feet high. But man could that guy fish. He would hold the rod like a rifle and as soon as the tip started to move he’d set the hook quick as you’ve seen.”

Gibson admits he’s slowing down a bit these days but there are no plans for an imminent retirement.

“The business has ebbs and flows,” he said. “I’m in year 46 and still enjoy what I do.”

For information on booking a charter, contact Gibson at saltwatermaine.com.