Mouths of the Merrimack Fishing Podcast

Capt. Peter Murray of Obsessed Charters in Plum Island, MA has been a Merrimack River staple since he started his charter business in 1979. He has a wealth of knowledge and experience with the changing of the fishery and landscape of the Merrimack River for over 40 years. He is a currently retired school teacher and runs charters with his son (and our good friend) Paul Murray. In this episode, we talk about fishing the Merrimack back in the day, Pete's boat building classes at Newburyport High School, and a whole lot of great stories detailing how, after 40 years, Pete and his son are still OBSESSED.

Capt. Jay Shields is an extremely knowledgeable and accomplished fisherman who has fished all over the world for a variety of species. His attention to detail and understanding of fish behavior is in a class of its own. This podcast dives deep into high-level fishing skills and the reasoning behind them including mastering the fundamentals, being situationally aware, and adapting non-local fisheries into what you're doing. We couldn't shut the mic off as the info just kept coming!

In an incredibly informative episode, Matt Ayer of the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries joins us to discuss the inner workings of how fisheries are managed. He goes into detail about how data is collected, how it is reviewed, and how the public can be involved to voice their opinions. This is an episode that EVERY New England fisherman should here to get an understanding of how the fisheries management system works and how you can be involved in the process.

Join Chris and Dan and their guest, the legendary James Jewkes of the Plum Island Surfcasters. James is an old-school fisherman who puts in the WORK on the beachfront. Any fishermen will appreciate James' dedication, attention to detail, and inspiring attitude. We also discuss clubs such as Plum Island Surfcasters and Mouths of the Merrimack and how important it is to be involved in the fishing community.

Capt. John Parkhurst of Parkhurst Charters in Salisbury, MA joins Chris and Dan to discuss how he grew to love saltwater fishing, starting a charter business, and some secrets of slaying haddock! Capt. John is always good for a laugh and some other great stories. I hope you enjoy listening as much as we did making it!

Join Capt. Chris and Dan with our good friend, MoM contributor, and excellent fisherman Justin Oser of Joseroutdoors. In this podcast, we discuss Justin's dominating performance during 2021 The Fishermen's Season-Long Kayak Tournament. He placed either 1st or 2nd for black sea bass, scup, albie, and tog. In addition to his story, we discuss the techniques and gear used, the advantages/disadvantages of fishing in a kayak, fishing the Cape Cod/ Merrimack River area, and a few stories from our time working together on the party boats out of Newburyport, MA. This is our first episode ever and we had a blast recording it and hope that you do too!3

Join Chris and Dan as our good friend, co-capt of Manolin Charters, and absolute fish magnet Capt. Mike Fallon takes some time to sit down to hang out. We discuss why boats like his Parker 25 SE and our 21 ft and 24 ft Pair Customs are the perfect inshore battle tanks for NE Massachusetts and what traits make boats more desirable than others for our style of fishing. Then, we dive deep into the wonders of shark fishing. Mike and I grew up together shark fishing and it's just a passion of ours. Lots of great information in here for the most green to the super obsessed!