On The Water

Jimmy Fee and Chris Megan welcome longtime friend, veteran charter captain, and avid angler Mike Holliday. With nearly four decades of guiding experience on Florida's Treasure Coast, Mike shares unforgettable stories, lessons learned on the water, and the passion that's kept him chasing species like tarpon and snook for almost 40 years. OTW Podcast Brought to you by: Old Town Kayaks: https...

Devin Acton is an obsessed tuna fisherman, an analytical bass angler, and a talented writer. In this episode, Devin and Jimmy talk about the glidebait bubble, fractional fish reports, Panamanian yellowfin, Cape Cod bluefin, and days of wind and darkness. Check out the Salvage:  https://blowinwegoin.substack.com?utm_source=navbar&utm_medium=web Follow Devin on Instagram:  Instagram

Two of Boston's most dedicated striper captains talk about their different approaches to finding big bass, the unusual early start to the 2026 Striper Season, and how conditions influence baitfish abundance. Also: charter stories, Tony Graffiti, and Cheech's reason for loving bad weather.

OTW's Matt Haeffner and Nick Cancelliere recount a recent trip to the Hudson River with Captain Chris Oliver of Keepin' It Reel Sportfishing. Topics discussed: glidebait ambassadors, modern seaworm tactics, and the ethics of river striper fishing. First, Jimmy Fee, Matt Haeffner, and Johnny McIntyre pops in, covered in squid ink, to discuss calamari recipes, sea sickness, and the difference betwee...

For three generations, the DeCostas have been operating Albacore Charters out of Nantucket Island. Captain Bob and Ray DeCosta talk about fishing for giant tuna, 100-striper days, and surf fishing Nantucket from the 1970s to today. Drop a comment: What’s the craziest fishing story you’ve ever experienced? #StripedBass #BluefinTuna #Nantucket #Surfcasting #OnTheWater #FishingPodcast #Monomoy #Saltw...

Captain Shaun Ruge of Eilodon Sport Fishing is one of New England's most "quietly fishy" captains. His passion for fishing led him to a job with Navionics at the leading edge of bathymetry technology. His fishing season includes a wide variety of New England gamefish from light-tackle mahi, big stripers, brown sharks, and bluefin. Shaun shares stories from his early days kayak fishin...

Dr. David Fish grew up in Brockton, MA and spent his summers chasing fish along the South Shore of Massachusetts. From an early age, he learned he could turn his talent for finding and catching fish into a source of income. Having grown up in Hull, where Dave fished out of, OTW's Anthony DeiCicchi and his father regularly encountered Dave on the water, as both a fishing buddy and an occasional...

In this episode of the On The Water Podcast, we sit down with Captain Joe Fonzi to talk about Lake Erie's incredible smallmouth bass fishery, with a side of walleye. This episode is presented by HUK Gear: ⁠www.huk.com And Supported By:⁠ Helen H: ⁠ https://helen-h.com/ Pro Cure Baits: ⁠https://www.pro-cure.com/⁠ USE CODE OTWP26 for 20% OFF Lambros Insurance: ⁠https://lambros-insurance.com/ Quan...

In this episode, Willy Goldsmith shares his lifelong passion for fishing for anything that swims, from his younger days of cod fishing aboard Massachusetts headboats to travelling abroad to experience lesser-known fisheries like wels catfish in Spain. Willy's love of fishing shaped his career, ultimately leading him to become a fisheries researcher and policy consultant that keeps him close to...

In this episode, Mike Luccini talks about his lifetime of fishing from breaking into the secretive surfcasting scene on Cape Cod to dialing in the big largemouth bite on Massachusetts ponds. Sponsored By: HUK Gear: www.huk.com Lambros Insurance: https://lambros-insurance.com/ Raymarine: https://www.raymarine.com/en-us Helen H: https://helen-h.com/?gad_source=1&gad... Pro Cure Baits: https://ww...

Step behind the scenes of the On The Water Podcast as Alex Blackwell and Liam O’Neill recap the latest season of Angling Adventures —from the highs of epic fishing days to the reality of tough conditions, missed shots, and the grind of production. With the full season now wrapped and spring right around the corner, the guys break down what really goes into making each episode—from 100+ hours of ed...

The April full moon giveth. In Week 4 of our 2026 Striper Migration Reports, OTW’s Johnny McIntyre and Matt Haeffner discuss the eruption of striper activity throughout New Jersey due to the arrival of bunker and the first wave of migratory fish, presumably from Chesapeake Bay. Matt and Johnny also cover how the action has begun to trickle east to Long Island’s South Shore and the Western Long Isl...

While some anglers are experiencing the best big striped bass fishing of their lives the science tells a more complicated story. In this episode, Ben Gahagan and Micah Dean of the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries talk about the state of the striped bass population, what stripers need to spawn successfully, and the results of a new study on catch-and-release fishing for striped bass. #Str...

In February 1975, Walter Bolonis caught a 15-pound largemouth bass through the ice in Southeastern Massachusetts, setting a seemingly unbreakable state record. Yet, many questions surround this catch, questions that professional bass fisherman and podcaster Mark Burgess of Big East Bass Fishing has been trying to answer. In this episode, Jimmy and Cheech sit down with Mark and discuss what it's li...

After what he calls the best bigeye season of his 30-year canyon career, Steve breaks down how omni sonar is allowing crews to track, follow, and cast to tuna schools in ways that were unthinkable a decade ago. Also discussed: jigging and popping in the canyons, eel-trolling for stripers, and massive tog. Presented by: Raymarine Everglades Boats Z-Man Fishing Products Quantum

In this episode, Jimmy and Liam sit down with Andy to talk steelhead, salmon, and the very brief history of Lake Ontario stripers. Also, Liam recounts his first trip of the 2026 fishing season, chasing steelhead on the tributaries of Lake Erie.  Book a trip with Andy: chasintailadventures.com Check out Andy's YouTube Channel: Chasin' Tail Adventures - YouTube

With even the saltwaters freezing in the Northeast, it's prime time to break out the augers and tip-ups. In this episode, Jimmy Fee, Alex Blackwell, and Matt Haeffner talk about the "moronic sport" of ice fishing. Alex recounts a recent trip to Maine targeting 4- and 5-pound brook trout through the ice; Matt Haeffner talks about his wet and cold first step into ice fishing; and Jimmy...

Videographer and surfcaster Andrew Burke grew up fishing the Outer Cape Beaches. He began filming his own adventures, then moved onto creating content with other media companies, including On The Water and Brave Wilderness . Andrew and Jimmy Fee talk about adapting to stay on stripers in the surf, share tips on preventing gear theft by coyotes, and talk about whether a bloodworm's bite actually st...

Lake trout grow large, feed aggressively, and can be caught 12 months a year in the Northeast. Jimmy and Kevin talk about this hard-fighting char and all the places you can catch it, from day-trips throughout the Northeast (and even New Jersey) to weekend trips to the Great Lakes or Maine to weeklong fly-outs to Canada. Also discussed: The wonderful hot wings of Western New York, the Mighty Niagar...

Chris Megan sits down with his longtime friend and former OTW General Manager to discuss how On The Water grew through the late 1990s and early 2000s, while reminiscing on their most memorable fishing trips. 

Saltwater options are dwindling around the On The Water Office, so Matt Haeffner and Jimmy Fee discuss the lengths they'll go to keep the saltwater season alive close to home. After that, Matt and Jimmy rank their striper seasons, muse about off-season plug purchases, and wonder how much is too much to spend on Sabiki rigs. 

Jimmy recounts the Season 22 New Jersey Surf episode with the guys behind the camera, Alex Blackwell and Liam O'Neill. They talk about everything that happened, and a warning about how chasing reports from "Good Samaritans" can leave you with an eyeful. Be sure to tune in this winter for an all-new season of On The Water's Angling Adventures. If you want to check out Episode 8 of...

Walking Angling Encyclopedia Bill Cronan returns with Massachusetts sharpie Mike Luccini. Topics discussed include a wetsuiting baptism by fire, the danger of devil rays, undercutting grifters in the Cape Cod surf, and how to striper fish too soon after a serious neck injury. 

Fresh off a silver-medal finish in the Pan-American Surfcasting Championship, Neil and Dante talk about their trip to Costa Rica, the strategy, the format, and the rules from the highest level of competitive surf fishing. Learn why monkey-hair bucktails are allowed, but deer hair is not, how home-field advantage plays out in the surf, and how there's always a further bar to swim to.  Learn mor...

On today's podcast, Chris Megan and Kevin Blinkoff discuss and debate striper management with Mike Waine of the American Sportfishing Association. Mike shares his insights as an Atlantic fishery policy expert on the challenges that managers face when considering options to rebuild the striped bass fishery. To make your voice heard, take this survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/Z3WLHF3 or em...