We tried. The forces were against us. We fought the good fight for as long as we could, but it just wasn't enough.  We need to cancel the 2017 Harwich Headhunt. The dream is finally over. For this year. 

There will be a 30 for 30 on the behind the scenes at some point, but at the end of the day there were too many moving parts to make it happen. The big one is I am moving to Europe. This summer. I thought we could pull it off before I left as a final send off, but it wasn't meant to be. I'm not sure where I am going to be next week let alone the middle of July and moving the entire family to a place my wife has never even been to (London) has a few complexities. 

Either way, we had a great 13 - year run, and we will be back. My plan is to be back for a month next summer, so this will give us more time to plan for an epic return. 

Keep the Headhunt in your thoughts and keep the dream alive. The Headhunt never dies.

​143.

July 15th. It's happening. People tried to keep us down. The forces were against us. But it needs to happen. If you remember last year, the Burkes on Team Jackal came in 3rd place, catching probably the best fish in the history of the tournament in terms of character and overall likeability - just not the heaviest. That will change this year.  

Remember - this tourney is open to anyone. Locals, vacationers, kids, charters, etc. If you don't have a boat, grab a charter and line it up. If you need help with a charter let me know. There are a number of Headhunt veteran charter captains that will put you in the mix for the title. 

For newbies, we don't take ourselves too seriously. We hope this keeps any cheating or shadiness away, and we purposely keep the entry fee low to make it open to as many people as possible. This tourney is as much about talking trash and having a good time as anything, and we always pick a good cause to throw some money to. We started this with 3 boats thirteen years ago, and the Burke family pulls this off with the help of a ton of people and sponsors in the local community. Even if it almost tears us apart every year. 

We may need to step it up a bit on prizes this year, so if anyone has anything they think can juice up the prizes, definitely let me know - headhunt@gmail.com. 

I know we say it every year, but this is most likely the last. More details to come on that front, but goal is to blow this baby out. Still working out if we're changing any rules. We know we've kept it pretty open every year in terms of where you can fish, but as always there's some people trying to push us to make it a bit more local. Hit us up if you have an opinion, but will make the call well before the tourney either way. 

Excited for the 14th annual we will be putting registration forms at local tackle shops or you can request one on the site and I'll email it out. 

And I'll leave you with the image of the first year weigh in, we had three boats, and all three were 19 lbs. There was some serious controversy, and we lost by a few ounces. And haven't won yet. Until this year. 

The 13th Annual Harwich Headhunt is in the books. Great weekend all around and one of the best tournaments we've ever had. Huge thanks to all of our sponsors again - On the Water, Goose Hummock, Drizly, Cape Cod Five, Hot Stove, Sunrise Bait & Tackle and the Land Ho. We couldn't pull this baby off without their support. 

Everything ended well, but it started out bleak.

s of Thursday there was a front blowing in, the Jackal had engine issues, and the fishing reports were spotty. Team Jackal got together Friday and had to strategize. Thankfully Mike Joy of Harwichport Boatyard worked his magic on Friday am and had the Jackal ready to roll. Friday was blowing, but we needed to know if we could try to make it through the southway cut to give ourselves more options on Saturday. We heard of fish off Chatham and that would save us serious time coming out of Saquatucket. We decided to go on a scouting mission in the 4-5 seas and cruised down to the cut. It was dodgy, but we made it through.

Back on land we discovered Brax now offered Jackal drinks. Things were starting to look up.

Then there was the weather. We were watching the reports and had a few captains asking if we were going to cancel. We wanted to avoid a blowout at all costs knowing we would lose half the boats if we pushed it. Luckily, the front was moving in quicker and the t-storms were moving out. 

Team Jackal met at the dock at 3 am - in pouring rain and lightning. We waited it out for a few, and then cruised around in the dark looking for pogies. Tria was up on the bow, with myself on the spotlight, and the wind blowing. He had one shot and made it count. His legendary cast net throw got us about 10 live ones which was enough to get us in the game. 

We cruised towards Chatham, still unsure of our plan. Like every year.

In the dark we sat outside the entrance to Stage Harbor and debated whether to try the cut again, in the dark, or head around the point and hit Bearses. Capt Sean made the call and we entered the cut. We had 2 of us on the bow with spotlights, followed our tracks from the day before, had a few close calls - but made it through.

When we got outside the cut, the waters were flat calm and the sun was just coming up. It was on.

We hit a couple good fish early on, one on a pogo and one on an eel. We were ready to move locations and I slow retrieved my eel bringing it in to leave, and got nailed by a good 17 lber (good lesson for all you kids out there).

Then we found the pogies. Piles of them. We switched to snag hooks and within minutes Ben cast a snag hook into the school, opened the bail, and bam!  5 seconds later had a 31 lber on the boat. At 7:30. Definitely a new feeling for Team Jackal, to have a contending fish on the board, early. We were shut down for next few hours, and then drifting in a random spot in 50 ft of water we got nailed again- doubling up on a 28 and 25 lbers. In all we got 9 fish, with only 2 under 20 lbs. A good day, with a good chance, based on the mostly negative chatter we were hearing the horn.

Back to the weigh in, spirits were high. We had navigated the cut, grabbed pogies in the dark, had great weather, and found the fish. We thought this was the year. 

It was not meant to be.

We made it to the after party early and a few boats were already waiting to weigh fish. Reports across the board were spotty. We had boats that hit Barnstable, Race Point, Nauset Inlet, Bearses, Nantucket, and even further. Some people complain we open it up too wide, but we make it anywhere on the Cape and let people do what they want. 

With the boats starting to weigh in, Team Jackal was in first. We had a 30.9 lber, that was holding strong for awhile. We also had a considerable lead over Team Buffalo (2nd place last year) and Team Powe (Perennial challengers and troublemakers). An hour into the 90 minute weigh in window, we were still in first. We tried not to think about the title knowing a few of the tourney heavyweight hadn't pulled in yet.

Then we saw Billy Hadfield show up. A few years back we were in a good position and Billy and his crew came in late and threw a 39 lber on the scale to take the title. In similar fashion, they came to the scale with a confident smile (and a sweet throw back Headhunt shirt) and we knew we were in trouble. 

Billy and crew weighed in a 34.9 lber to take the lead. They picked it up on a tube/worm outside the canal on the bayside. Said it was their only fish, and hit, of the day. Monster fish by past champions. At this point there was only about 15 minutes left at the weigh in. Surprisingly, not one charter boat was on the board. 

Then the Sundquists pulled in. Based on how they were carrying their cooler to the weigh in, we knew it was over. The defending champs played to the crowd with the dramatic effect of coming in only a few minutes until the weigh in was over and dropped a 40.6 lber on the scale to take the title. Again.

Great team and the bastards sure can fish. We will get them.

When the final bell rang, Team Jackal took 3rd - and 3 non charters took the top 3 spots.

Overall, a great tournament and a great day on the water. The after party was hot as heck, but it was awesome to see so many of the returning veteran boats, and a few new locals in the mix. We will see about next year, but thanks to everyone who made this happen and for everyone who joined.

This year we were also lucky enough to have a few bucks to donate to local charter captain Jeffrey Craig and his kiddo Sawyer who is battling Leukemia. It was great to see them at the after party.

There should also be some press in the next few days as we had Kat from the Cape Cod Chronicle and a few folks from the CC Times there as well. 

Congrats again to team ReeLax'N - great group of guys and a monster fish to win it all. The final standings were - 

1st place boat:  ReeLax'N

Peter Sundquist
Kirby Sundquist
Jamie Sundquist
Kevin Frank

2nd place boat:  Lindsey Gale

Bill Hadfield
Colton Hadfield
Rick Samuels
Bob Hadfield

3rd place - Team Jackal
Sean Burke
Ryan Burke
Dave Tria
Ben Allen
Ethan Kusmin

Here are the two time champs with their hog of a catch. Congrats again boys!

Junior Angler champion - Dylan Joy - taking a bow for the crowd. He not only was the top junior angler, but finished 4th overall with a 27.6 lber.

Getting ready to announce the winners and hand the trophy and sweet prizes (the rods were legit - thanks again Goose) off to someone other than ourselves for the 13th straight year.

Petey from Team Powe had some sweet Headhunt trucker hats made - my kiddo immediately stole mine from me.

Overall, thanks again to everyone, including  Billy and Jean Burke (mom/dad) who helped with all the behind the scenes work and setting up and making the after party happen. 

​Congrats to everyone who made it out, and hit me up if you didn't get a shirt.

​ Until next year (maybe)!!

Just got off the boat from some pre-fishing. My wife earlier said - "the only word I hate more than tuna fishing, is pre-fishing" - it's so nice have such a supportive family.  We didn't really fish with the wind blowing, but it was a scouting mission to see if we could make it through the southway cut on our boat. Still in strategy stage, but we actually did make it through, so more options are on the table to now confuse us further.

Came into Brax after for a few drinks and saw that our boat had received it's own drink - The Jackal. We obviously had to have a few. From the pictures above you can see it's a gritty, rough around the edges kick you in the ass type drink - just like us. Either way,  I think it's a sign.

Grabbed some of the million of pogies in the harbor today (if anyone needs any - let us know) and then got banged around out in front of the beach on our way to the cut, but we made it. We also had the mechanic on our boat first thing, so between the boat running, spotty fishing, and now weather - there are a lot of variables in the mix.

Right now, weather is looking better - the tourney is on. We know that early am could be bumpy, but the front came through earlier and we should be ok. 

I'm seeing a lot of texts flying around on strategies, locations, etc. and a few late crew changes based on some political infighting so tourney is in full swing. 

We will be at Hot Stove for a few tonight - probably only 6-7:30 - to talk strategy/trash and take any last minute entries. Then we need to get our sleep. 

For any late questions - hit me on my mobile - 617.216.5833 and tourney chatter on channel 69 tomorrow. Be safe, and good luck everyone and feel free to text me any numbers if you find the fish and I'll treat you to a fruity and delicious Jackal at Brax.

We are watching the weather, but at this point it's still on. Looks like front is blowing through earlier which is good. Early am may be a little dodgy, but should get better and t-storms are moving off.

Stay tuned here and hit me at headhunt@gmail.com - 617.216.5833 w/ any questions.

​Good luck!!

Good night tonight. Kiddo turned 5, had cake at the beach and second cast got a striper on a popper. Decent schoolie, jumped completely out of the water twice for the kiddos and I swear I heard him yell "Go Team Jackal!". 

So we're only a couple days away and we have a few more boats in. The Vegas boards have been lighting up with action so we will see how things change. The big variable is the location. Word on the street is a big bite off of Barnstable and also big fish hanging deep off of Chatham. I know we'll catch heat again on location, but tourney is open to anywhere on the Cape. 

Here is one bad boy caught today (location unknown). This is another winning fish if these babies can hold to Sat.

 For the boats, there a few that continue to battle for top spot on the Vegas odds. Some of the leaders are below (forgive any spelling errors as my dad typed these over to me) - 

1. Reelaxin - the Sundquist family and defending champs are the favorites until someone takes them down. We know they can fish. And we know they are mobile. With the fishing being spotty who knows where they will end up, but they are top dog until dethroned
2. Perfect Catch - Capt Tom Szado is obviously a repeat Headhunt champion/legend and with his veteran crew they are always in the title hunt. 
3. Shanti - another charter Capt - Tom Birch - and another ex-champion. I grew up fishing on the Shanti - boat is awesome - and these guys will always be in the hunt. Not 100% sure if they're paid up, but they should be based on their odds
4. Team Buffalo - second place finishes last year with Capt. Austin Proudfoot, but a little late drama (or a wedding commitment) has a last minute Capt switch in the mix. Capt gives these guys a good shot, although their Buffalo losing heritage should balance that out a bit
5. Lindsey Gale - Billy Hatfield had a tourney record (at the time) 39 lber a few years back to win so he is definitely in the mix again as well

Those are the top 5 favorites, and there are a number of new boats in the mix so who knows - anything can happen.

Team Jackal is 275-1 but we just got off our pre-tourney conference call and actually went to 300-1 based on the call. From the call we had 2 of the 5 crew skip the call, we have 1 of the 5 potentially switching boats, and we still are not really sure what the strategy is so it's a long shot. I will say Capt is in the mix mentally more than in years past, so who knows. If we can get him more than his typical 30 min of sleep we may be in there.

Then we have the Burnie Bros. Two brothers, two cabs home. They have the boat, the location and the experience but chemistry and attitude are way off so they're off the board.

Team Charlotte E. is always a dark horse. 10 year tourney vet - 1 second place finish, and we know how Capt Rob prepares. He has gone dark on us the past few days so we know he's up to something. He still has Greg on his boat so that should drag him down, but he could be in the mix. Fast boat, trailerable, and great new finder, and the tools are there.

Then there is Team Powe. Drama. City boys chartering Ernie and Jeff on Ocean Effects charter. This is a past tourney winning crew (somehow) but they have had more crew switches in the past 10 years. than anyone in history. This year, and I am not joking, it came down to a drawing contest to see who got the final spot. Drawing. For one challenge they had to draw myself and my brother. The winning drawing is below. Not a bad Blinkie but I do take exception to the Capri pants. Either way, you have to respect the competitiveness where they battle to even get onto the team, even if it's in weird ways like this.

Keep spreading the word and some of Team Jackal will be out on the water Friday if anyone is out and wants to talk shop. Hit us up and we can do some pre-fishing collaboration and/or trash talk.

​Last thing, and most important. Every year we give a little $$ to someone in the community. That is what this tourney is about. Past Headhunt winner  (below with a sweet fish from today and he better tell me where) Jeffrey Craig has a sick kiddo. I haven't met him, but from what I've read and seen online, kid is tough as nails. We don't have much, but will be giving $500 to support Sawyer (Supersawyer) Craig and his fight against Leukemia. We don't make a big deal out of this because it's not about us, but I'm hoping Jeff and Sawyer can swing by Sat. Either way we have a few bucks - and obviously some Headhunt shirts - coming their way.

Does anyone else feel like it's the week before the Super Bowl? Me neither. Regardless, the tourney is only a few days away so it's going to be time to analyze the field in our next post. Right now I think we're just under 20 boats, which is actually not bad given how many last second larry's we usually have. There are also a few veteran crews laying in the weeds who we hope pull a late hail mary and make it into the game.

Either way, it's fishing time. Team Jackal stalwart Tria continues to crush it in Rhody with this 40 lb hog above. I think that fish  would win the tourney this year. Overall sounds the bite around the rips is still a little spotty, but there are pockets of fish up and around the outer cape. People are becoming increasingly tightlipped, but I've seen some big fish pulled in over the weekend on Facebook - namely from a few folks trying to tuna fish.

Team Jackal will be holding our annual pre-tourney conference call. We should really live stream it for comedic value since it's always a complete debacle and we still end up staring at each other at 4 am on Saturday wondering where we are headed and asking who brought the fried chicken. 

Good news is shirts are in. Beautifully modeled below. Burke ladies always love the family events where they dress up nice and the guys show up in full on Headhunt gear. We need to bring the visors back. 

Note the light grey with the fluorescent yellow, with the darker grey for the kiddos. They/I look good. Remember, if you don't get a shirt on Saturday we will make sure you get one - and you can buy extras as well. Days of us ordering a crapload of shirts and ball parking how many would be purchased are gone.

A few other quick notes for the tourney. First, we will use channel 69 for tourney chatter again. If you're on the fish feel free to call me directly on my mobile as well and tell me where they are and what you are using. Thanks in advance.

We will also be meeting at the Hot Stove on Friday night. Early. Last few years we have gone a little too hard and our illustrious captain has had some resulting stomach issues so I don't think we will be there past 7. 

If you are playing the weather - and fishing - until the last minute, get those forms in early as you can. They need to be in hand Friday for you to be counted. Your best bet is have one sent to you and then you can wait to submit if needed. 

Let's hope some more reports start flowing in. Time to start dialing in.

Speaking of, if you want to dial into the Team Jackal call Wed night, just let me know and you'll be in for a treat. Think Real World / Road Rules Challenge meets Bobs Burgers.

We are almost officially one week away from the 13th Annual Harwich Headhunt Striper tourney. We are getting more boats signed up by the day and should be a great tourney. As you know, this has always been a community driven tournament just focused on having a great day on the water with good people, and with a little skin in the game. A major part of this is the support we get from our awesome sponsors.

First off, Goose Hummock is the best. The best tackle shops on the Cape, with the best staff, and big supporters of the Headhunt. Can't thank Phil, Mike, Austin and the gang enough for the contributions they make every year. In addition to keeping all of our gear in top shape, and Capt. Austin coming in 2nd place last year (and a Vegas favorite this year after the hog he caught last weekend), they donate prize packages to help make this tournament what it is.

Through the Goose we get gear from great brands including Fin-Nor. They make some of the best gear in the game, and we are lucky to have them as part of the prize packages. 

​

This year we also welcome Drizly into the mix. If you haven't heard of Drizly - you will. For those of us city folk, they are a game changer. Alcohol delivered to your door. Yup. Click a few buttons, someone shows up at your door - payment, tip, everything already taken care of. A few of the guys at Drizly have been fishing the tourney over the year, and they are going to be heading to the Cape soon. Get ready. They will also have some free swag for the after party so get there early since we know stuff goes quick.

The tourney vets know this, but for any newbies - the Hot Stove Saloon on rte 28 in Harwichport is pretty much the Headhunters home away from home. We meet up at the Stove on Friday night before the tourney for some drinks and trash talking. Place has great food and staff and has always been the favorite watering hole for tourney veterans.

Cape Cod 5 bank is back supporting the tourney. Best local bank around and really appreciate everything they do for the Headhunt, and the community. Everything a local bank should be.

Huge thanks to the gang at On the Water who have been with us from the early days. Neal and Bill and the crew have been big supporters and appreciate the prize packages they donate every year. Love their content - especially the TV show which is great. Maybe need to do an episode on a family run local fishing tourney sometime - seems like an Emmy winner.

There are a number of other folks from Ryan at My Fishing Cape Cod, Sunrise Bait & Tackle, Yeti Coolers, and others who are always chipping in. Really appreciate all the help and hope to see all of them at the party on Saturday.

We are now under 2 weeks until the big day.  Panic is setting in. Fish are few and far between on the rips and Team Jackal is already in our own heads trying to figure out what to do. Head north? Go way south of Nantucket? Handkerchief? Flemish Cap?

We will figure it out, but with only days away from the tourney Monomoy is looking spotty at best. Better than last year, but still spotty. Took the family out for a quick trip on Sunday and struck out on bass. Again we saw pogies everywhere, and had one good size striper chasing a single pogie in front of one of the rips while ignoring our casts, but we did catch a few big blues which we obviously told the kiddos were the only fish we were targeting. Also saw a big seal with a chunk out of it's back still swimming in the shallows. We cruised up to see if we could witness nature in it's most raw form, but unfortunately a great white didn't hammer the wounded seal in front of our young boys and most likely keep them out of the water for the rest of their lives. 

We may not have had any luck on the stripers, but the pogies continue to amaze me. They are everywhere. They have to be the bait of choice for the Headhunt. 

Down south, Team Jackal MVP Tria continues to slay the big boys. Check out the 36 lber below

Monster. We need to put a Zombait (have you seen those things?) into this baby and keep it for next weekend. Kidding. 

This thing also had 2 whole lobsters in it's stomach which is 2 more than I have in my pots. Good thing I gave up lobstering and decided to be a commercial 4 inch green crab fisherman with my pots

Another Team Jackal member had a good run today ground fishing. We are big believers in our species count on Team Jackal, so good to see him get a few good sea bass, a keeper tog, and a fluke. Doesn't match the 27 species we got on one of our Everglades trips, but still a good haul. We may need to move the Headhunt to a species tourney - could be our only shot.

Lastly, talked to the fellas at On The Water this week and they are going to contribute another prize package. I have to say that the content from OTW has been great the last few years, and love the show. You would think there would be more shows dedicated to the great fishing up our way, but those guys nail it. Really appreciate their support.

If anyone has any reports (and numbers) - definitely send them in. The clock is ticking so let's hope Monomoy lights up and the weather holds - otherwise we are switching to a crab species tourney so I may finally have a shot.

We are getting closer to game time. For those salty tourney vets who remember last year, the fishing was tough. Terrible. We fished the Jackal for two full days - Friday pre-fishing and all day Saturday, and were shut out. Monomoy was a desolate island of despair.  Let's hope this year is different.

Having been to Monomoy once this year - with some luck, we are hoping things change. We are also going to have to look at any and all options, although coming out of Harwich will limit us. I know there have been rumblings that we should make this a Monomoy only tournament, or draw a line for certain areas, but too much of a headache to police that stuff. The tourney was never about big money or anything, so just hope people stay within the rules and keep it reasonable. As long as you weigh in at Harwich Land Ho by 3:30 pm - you are good.

It will be interesting to see where boats go. South of Nantucket, off Chatham, Bearses, etc. are always hot options and I know a few HH captains are already in strategy mode and probably over thinking it. 

Heading to Harwich today, and weather permitting will try to make a run at the rips. Stay tuned so see what we can find and send any reports. 

Speaking of finding fish - I did find this creature on the beach this week, jammed in the rocks smelling to high hell. Based on some scientific analysis (Googling) of the skull looks like we may have found a Fisher Cat. Thing is frightening.

Last thing, was down in Saquatucket last week and saw old friend Capt Seamus of Jailbreak Charters. He is a past Headhunt champion captain and has a beauty of a new rig - 42 Duffy he took up solo from Florida. If anyone wants to instantly climb the Vegas odds for the tourney, give Captain Seamus a call.

Let me know how anyone does this weekend, time to start dialing in. Also, get those registration forms in. Need to get the $$ and forms in so we don't have to scramble last minute (again) to get everything organized the day of the tourney. Def a drawback of fishing your own tourney and not choosing to stay behind and coordinate - but tourney isn't close to worth it unless I'm out there on the water competing (and losing) every year.

Hit me up with any questions and hopefully we'll see some reports from the weekend. Good luck!!