Black Hawk II, party boat fishing out of Niantic, Conn.

A conveyor belt of fish

Location: 11 Main St., Niantic

Target species: ground fishing trips for porgy and black sea bass; trips for bluefish and striped bass

Cost: $95 for a 7-hour trip (spring 2021)

Fishing out of Niantic, Conn., the Black Hawk II is a large party boat with a galley that consistently finds fish.

I went out with the Black Hawk on Saturday, July 31 with my brother-in-law and usual fishing partner, Altin. The porgies were coming up so quickly it was like a conveyor belt of fish from the ocean to our cooler. We both maxed out at 30 fish apiece.

After satisfying their customers with full coolers of porgy, the boat made a short run in deeper waters for black sea bass. The wind was moving the boat at a rapid clip, however, and few sea bass were caught.

We headed out at 5 a.m. We were surrounded on either side by a group of Puerto Ricans from East Hartford. They were good company, funny, friendly and cheerful guys who knew how to fish. Accordingly there were very few tangles over the course of several hours of fishing.

The boat did spend nearly two hours in traveling time out to the fishing grounds off Montauk Point and a bit less on the ride back. So a lot of the trip is taken up with motoring out to the fishing spots. This is not at all unusual, however, and will be a familiar experience for anybody who regularly goes on open charter boats.

The boat runs ground-fishing trips for Porgy and Black Sea Bass, as well as summer runs for bluefish and striped bass.

Bait (clams for bottom fishing) is provided, but it will cost $7 to rent a rod. In the spring of 2021, a seven-hour ground fishing trip will cost $95 for adults, and $60 for those aged 12 and under.

I’ve traveled with the boat several times and they consistently put their customers on strong schools of porgy mixed in with a few black sea bass. I’ve been out on one bluefish run that also produced well.

The boat provides a comfortable ride and comes equipped with a galley, so one can buy snacks and food onboard.

I can strongly recommend the Black Hawk.