Bunny Clark Deep Sea Fishing is the boat New England anglers search for by name, and the benchmark for a serious groundfish day on the southern Maine coast. It runs out of Perkins Cove in Ogunquit under Captain Tim Tower, a 40 foot limited load boat with decades on the Gulf of Maine ledges and a documented wall of world and state records caught aboard. It fishes the deep, productive bottom for haddock, pollock, and the rest of the groundfish spread, and it carries the longest track record and the strongest reputation of any boat on this stretch of coast.
The verdict and where it ranks
At 8.5 the Bunny Clark is the top of the southern Maine field and a book with confidence choice. It earns the spot on the captain and the record: Tim Tower is among the most respected groundfish skippers in the state, the boat is certified to fish up to 100 miles offshore, and the long trips reach water the shorter Portland charters cannot. The honest caveat is the schedule and the format. The 2026 calendar is built around long extreme day and marathon trips with no half days and no weekend trips planned, so it is a serious angler’s boat, not a casual first outing. Book it for the best groundfish day in the port. For a shorter or more flexible private trip, the Kristin K out of Portland is the better fit, and the cheaper Nor’easter head boat runs daily out of Kennebunk.
The boat
The Bunny Clark is a 40 foot groundfish boat with an extra 6 foot bow fishing pulpit, Coast Guard inspected and certified to fish up to 100 miles offshore, which is what lets it reach the deep ledges on the long trips. The defining feature is the limited load policy: it caps the extreme day at 20 anglers and the marathon at 18, fewer than a packed head boat would take, so there is more room at the rail and more attention from the crew. It is a working groundfish platform built for the distance and the bottom rather than a comfort cruiser, so set your expectations on a serious fishing boat. Rods, reels, lures, and bait are provided.
The fishing and what you target
The Bunny Clark fishes the Gulf of Maine ledges for groundfish, and haddock is the keeper mainstay, open most of the year with a 15 fish limit and a 17 inch minimum in 2026. Pollock run year round and pull hard, and cusk, hake, redfish, and the occasional Atlantic halibut fill out the bottom. Cod are on the same ground, but Gulf of Maine cod is tightly restricted to short windows at one fish a day, so most are released. The boat’s reputation rests on big haddock and record class fish: anglers aboard have set 43 IGFA world records and 30 Maine state records since 1984, and Tim Tower’s detailed fishing reports are the clearest public read on what is biting on the ledges.
Trips and prices
The 2026 menu is two trips, both priced per person on the limited load basis. The extreme day runs 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. for $145 per person, capped at 20 anglers, and the marathon is a longer 12 hour plus run for $200 per person, capped at 18. Rods, reels, lures, and bait are included. The per person fare sits above a packed head boat, but that is the point of the limited load: fewer anglers, more room, and a better shot at the rail you want. The season runs April 1 to November 15, with marathons on Tuesdays and Thursdays and extreme days on set dates, and no weekend trips planned for 2026, so the dates book up. Our cost guide sets the per person fare against a private charter, and the party boat versus private charter guide weighs the head boat format against booking your own boat.
The crew
Captain Tim Tower is the operation, and the crew is its strongest factor. He has run the Bunny Clark for decades, keeps meticulous catch logs and fishing reports, and is widely regarded as one of the most knowledgeable groundfish captains in Maine. Reviewers consistently describe serious, well run trips and a captain and mate who know exactly where the fish hold and how to put you on them, even on a hard day. The public review count is smaller than some of the busy Portland boats, but the depth of the record, the documented world and state records and the years of reports, backs up the reputation. This is a boat run by someone who fishes the ground every week and writes down what he learns.
Booking and what to know
Book online or by phone at 207-646-2214, and book early, because a single boat on a fixed Tuesday and Thursday marathon schedule fills its good dates. The boat leaves from 70 Perkins Cove Road in Ogunquit, and passengers should arrive an hour before departure to secure the reservation. No fishing license is needed, the crew fillets and bags your catch, and you bring your own food and drinks for a long day. Dress in layers and bring motion sickness medication if you are unsure of your stomach, since the extreme day and marathon are full days well offshore.
How we scored it
The Bunny Clark scores 8.5, the top of the southern Maine port. Captain and crew and track record are its highest factors, on Tim Tower’s standing and the documented record, and value and transparency rates well on clear per person pricing and the room a limited load buys. It is held just short of a higher number by a narrow 2026 schedule with no half days and a single boat that books up, which limits access for a casual or first time angler. See how we scored this boat for the full rubric, and compare it against the rest of our southern Maine rankings.