Post a followup to this message

SUBJECT: # 2863: BOSTON HARBOR- Striper Fly Fishing 7/9/2006

Submitted by B-Fast Charters (69.19.14.38) from MASSACHUSETTS on 7/11/2006 6:41:00 AM

BOSTON HARBOR & SOUTH SHORE-Stripers 7/9/2006

I just returned from my annual Atlantic salmon trip to Labrador with friend and colleague John Putnam. Although the rivers were low making for tough fishing conditions, we had a great trip. John hooked 10 salmon, landing three over 12 pounds, as well as twice that number of 4 to 6 pound grilse using the “hitch” on green-butt, glitter black bear hair wings tied low-water and green-butt buck-bugs---an awesome initiation for a first-timer fishing salmon.

Finding the striper fishing in the inner-harbor just as slow on Saturday on my return from Canada, Roger Thuot (Petersham, MA) and I elected to pick-up where we left off in late June fishing the structure in the outer-harbor and off Cohasset’s Minot’s Ledge. We evidently made the right choice. Roger, ailing with a sore rotator-cuff, opted to fish surface presentations on light spinning gear. He spotted a fish smashing a herring on the surface and cast a Texas-rigged slug-go to the rise. The striper inhaled the twitching, soft plastic, the reel started singing and we were “off-to-the races”, following a big bass surging for deep water. This liner-sider proved to be our largest bass of the season, pulling the Boga-grip to the 26 pound mark, and it was taped at 42 inches. We promptly revived the fish and released it unharmed.

The rest of the morning, were moved from one piece to structure to the next fishing the pocket-eater and picking up a few school bass at each location. Abrames Razzel-dazzel flatwing worked well on the long rod in the wash off the rocky promontories both in Boston’s outer-harbor Islands and in Minot’s rocky ledges. Roger continued to do well with light spinning gear, however only one more 29 inched keeper was brought to the net.

On the Bank—Stellwagen—the word is the best bait concentration in the past five-years. Bubble-feeding whales and sand eels can be found along much of the sickle-shaped western edge. This bodes very well for bluefin tuna fishing, especially giant bluefins, which have been all but absent in our area the past two years. The table is set for a potential banner year for giants.

Capt. Mike Bartlett B-Fast Charters www.bfastcharters.com