Hi! My name is Chet and I'm a recovering fishaholic. I went to Cuttyhunk when I was 12 and learned to fish from a 16 ft. Fred Hart,of Adamsville, semi-vee botton outboard skiff. I listened to "Coot" Hall, Ike and Bob Tilton, Charlie Tilton Sr.,Lloyd Bosworth, Et Al and managed to survive. I worked for "Coot" Hall and was taught how to cast, "old fashioned" straight spool reels, Penn Squiders to start and then Ambassodor's. Watched Lloyd Bosworth with guys from Mitchell Tackle with this weird reel, some kind of finger that revolves around a fixed spool with somekind of plastic line! Learned to fish "The Rip" at Sow and Pigs and then ventured over to Gay Head and taught myself about that area. Took advise and experimented and got good at it. Worked at it 28 seasons,and in 78 without enough bass to eat, left and went "deep sea" in the Merchant Marine on oil supply vessels. Too much time away. 86' moved to Vermont and wife and I owned and operated old fashioned country store. Sold store
in 91 and am "up on the hill", no, not over it, yet, but up on a hill at 2100 feet viewing into New Hampshire and writing a book about Cuttyhunk, the Bass and those who fished for them. Did you know that at one time there were 15 fishing guides at Cuttyhunk?
I was one of them and proud of it. My boat carried the name "Nor-Easter", from the "little" 16 footer through four other boats and ended with a 23 foot Sea Craft. My Father was Chester F. Hathaway, founder of Hathaway Machinery Co. Inc. in Fairhaven, where I worked on and off over the years, mostly in the wintertime, and when I had to work in the summer I would commute from Cuttyhunk to the "City" each morning, and still take charters every night.
I started this with the "Hi, I'm --and I'm a fishaholic", cause I think that as we grow up in the fishing invironment, whether it be "sport" or "commercial", it does 'get into your blood' and one can become obsessed with the urge to be about the search for that ultimate 'strike'. The best personal fish I ever boated was a 61 and a half pounder on an eelskin, 40 # lead core Ashaway and a 60# mono leader, in October of 1966.The backing on the reel was 40# "Green Spot" dacron from Ashaway. There were two of us fishing that night, on a four hour 'tide' and we caught eleven fish, smallest just at fifty pounds and the 61 1/2 the largest and all were taken "in front of the Cuttyhunk Fishing Club", under a waning moon.
The "best night" fishing was in the fog with two other boats.Bob Bauer, as I recall was high hook with 98 fish. Don Lynch had 95 or 96 and I was "Low Hook" with only 93 fish. Size? from the then legal 16 inches up to 56 pounds for my boat and I don't recall the weights for the other two guides.
So, anyway, thats who "Nor-Easter" is. For any more fishing info look for the publishers announcements for " Fourteen Miles To Market", a story of the Striped Bass of Cuttyhunk and those who fished for them. An historical look at the fishing guides of Cuttyhunk through the eyes of one of them, Capt. Chet Hathaway. Coming soon to a bookstore near you!