| 2001
Season Hello,
This
is my final Captain's report of the year. First, thanks to all who fished aboard
Draggin' Fly Too this season. It was a very interesting year filled with many
high points. The bass arrived a little earlier this year and are still in the
Harbor now. There
was the predictable rush of fish in June. Bait was spread out throughout the inner
Harbor. Mackerel surprised many by hanging inside for much of the month-which
meant many big fish were caught. July's
fishing was a little more difficult since the strippers did not school in large
numbers as they have in the past. Most mornings there was an early morning surface
bite-then it was time to fish structure. Things broke open mid-month but the action
was more on the outside. Some truely trophy sized bass were caught during this
time.
August saw some bluefish move into the Harbor but not in the numbers of two years
ago so we continued to target bass on most trips with an occassional blue mixed
in. Fishing held up all month but not in the big numbers as in the past. The good
news was the size of the fish. Several fish over 40 inches were caught on flies
and light tackle during this time. The fall fishing was also good especially early
mornings and late afternoons. We had to work at it more since fish were really
spread out. The late season was great but the weather didn't want to cooperate
very often.
Now it is time to begin my next season as a ski pro for American Ski Company at
Sunday River Maine, I look forwarded to seeing many of you on the slopes. We always
have room at the Valley View House. Drop me a line.
Capt. Bill October
6,2001 Strong
winds kept Draggin 'Fly Too at dock again this weekend. We did manage to fish
two afternoons once the seas of last weekend's Nor'easter calmed. And the fishing
was outstanding.
On Tuesday, John Kieley of New Hampshere joined Damon Reed of Norwell for their
final trip of the season.After a slow start, fishing broke open inside Quincy
Bay and these avid fly rodders caught bass after bass. Many were taken on the
surface using poppers and sliders. John decided to stick with his favorite fly,
the Half'nHalf. And it worked-he was the top rod.
Thursday, we managed to get Mike Fletcher and his wife Nancy of Boston out for
the afternoon of fishing.Their trip was cancelled last weekend. The fish were
in Quincy and were very agressive. Best action was on soft jerk baits fished in
very shallow water along Wollaston Beach. Mike and Nancy released several legal
sized bass and numerous schoolies disspelling rumors that there are no fish left
in Boston. On
Friday morning, a fellow charterboat, Capt. Tom's Roccos took Capt. Bill's advice
and picked up where Draggin'Fly left them the night before. Too bad that the gale
forced winds ruined another weekend for our guests. But that is fishing.
September
24, 2001 Mike
Bertrand of Medfield brought together his crew for their last trip of the season
on Thurasday, Sept. 20. The group caught a bunch of bass along the channel edges
of Lower Middle. A school of bass was found chasing bait on the surface on Sculpin
Ledge but these were very difficult to stay on. Just before dark, Mike and friends
found more cooperative bass. Soft jerk baits brought a number of bass up to 31
inches to the boat.
Saturday, Sept. 22 Dan Fallon of New Hampshire brought along two friends for a
rain delayed trip. After some severe thunderstorms cleared out, the group jumped
on a school of bass working bait in the shallow water off Hingham. It was difficult
to get these fish to bite, but a few were taken on Bass Assassins. Similar action
was encountered off Thompson's Island. Lower Middle produced several just sublegal
fish as did Quincy Bay.
Pea soup fog made for a difficult start on Sunday, Sept. 23. Annette Lechie brought
along husband Rob and dad, Harold from Texas. The catch was a mixture of bass
and blues. Bass Assassins outproduced poppers. Harold landed the biggest bass
but Annette caught the most fish. Best action was in Quincy Bay. The most unusual
catch of the day was a lobster that took a Fin-S-Fish rigged on a jig head.
September 16, 2001 Paul
Ponichtera of Hingham brought along friends Archie and Andy for a trip on Sept.
15. Temperatures hovered in the 40's and the cold front seemed to shut down any
surface action. To catch fish, Capt. Bill had to adjust techniques and fish structure.
Paul caught the biggest fish of the day, a respectable 32 inch fish. Andy also
released a legal size bass and several schoolies. Although Archie did not hook
any big fish, this veteran Atlantic Salmon fly fisherman had fun with school sized
fish. On
Sunday, Clayton Smith of New Hampshire and Paul Snell of Danvers got into a quick
spurt off Long Island just after first light. Action lasted until the fleet descended
and broke up the bass. The Coast Guard and Navy closed off the airport flats and
the Castle Island ledges because of bomb threats. That also kept five cruise ships
off shore. Late in the morning a mixture of small blues and bass erupted on the
surface in Quincy Bay. Then it was time to work deeper water. Clayton was top
rod, catching the largest bass of the day (and the smallest) while Paul caught
the most fish. September
9, 2001 Capt.
Bill is back to his fall schedule of running afternoon and weekend charters until
mid-October. Capt. Roger continues to run striper charters through the month and
then cod trips begin. Be sure to book your trips now before the 2001 season is
just a memory.
Saturday, Sept. 8 Kevin Hokanson of Marshfield brought along friends Kelly and
Rick for an early morning trip. Bass and blues were mixed off of Deer Island and
anglers managed e few before the fish moved into deep water. Another school of
larger bass was found off Nahant. Kelly caught the largest legal size bass and
Kevin used Bass Assassins to catch several school sized fish. Once the tide slackened,
the bite ended so the crew headed inshore for warmer waters to hunt blues. With
information from Capt. Roger, Draggin' Fly drifted along the bar off Wollaston
and banged a bunch of choppers up to 9 lbs. The fish were not as aggressive as
they usually are in shallow water. As Kevin said "We had more follows than in
all my other trips put together" And he has fished 3 other times this year alone.
Rick led the way on the blues but again Kelly caught the largest.
On Sunday, Sept. 9 Dave Gale of Sharonj brought along brother Dan and friend Ben
White. This trip got off to a quick start with Dan catching his first ever bass
on a soft jerk bait. Dave and Ben used foam poppers on their fly rods to catch
their fish. Once the fleet gathered, the fish sounded. Another school of bass
was found feeding on the surface at Governor's Flats. Anglers also got into a
mix of bass and blues in Boston
off the Reserve. The bluefish bite of yesterday failed to materialize. August
30, 2001 Jay
Hoffman of Marshfield was on board for the dawn bite in Quincy. Just as the sun
poked up, bluefish broke off Nut Island. Within minutes, they were joined by schools
of breaking bass. Jay caught blues up to 6 pounds and bass up to 30 inches on
light tackle.
Later in the morning, Draggin' Fly returned to dock to pick up the rest of the
family. Within minutes son, Max was onto a nice striper. The rest of the family
got into the action with several multiple hookups. No monstrous fish, but healthy
schoolies up to 27 inches.
On Saturday, Aug. 25 the weatherman was wrong again. The predicted light east
wind gusted out of the northeast at dawn, putting a damper on Paul's plans to
flyfish. Instead, it was time to use light spinning tackle. Also on board was
Paul's son, Eric and friends, Russell and Bruce. Eric was top rod landing a bass
that tipped the scale at just under 30 pounds. In spite of the wind, anglers found
some good surface action early in the tide and then it was time to fish structure.
action was much slower.
Day 2 of Paul's charter was much less windy. Again anglers were into school bass
and blues just after dawn in Dorchester Bay. Once the crowd found us, the fish
began to break up, so it was time to move offshore. Some great action was encountered
outside the harbor's approach channels. Bruce caught the largest legal size bass
of the day on a soft jerk bait. The crew was into enough blues to keep Captain
Bill busy rigging for the rest of the morning.
Wind aborted Monday, Aug. 27's trip. Even master fly fisherman Walter Hess of
Randolph found it really impossible to cast into the strong southwest winds that
gusted up to 30 mph at times. The wind broke up the fish. But Walter managed a
few schoolies before calling it a day. What a difference a day makes.
On Tuesday, Aug. 28 Tom Decapo of Lincoln brought along his wife, Susan and nine
year old daughter, Madison. Fishing was nonstop for stripers, with a few blues
mixed in. Anglers were into their first fish of the day within minutes of being
picked up in Boston. This surface bite lasted until slack tide, then it was time
to explore offshore. Two different schools of bass were found pushing bait. Madison
and Susan were top rods, both catching and releasing bass up to 30 inches. Besides
catching his own bass, Tom was kept busy helping Captain Bill to unhook bass and
rerig tackle.
The wind came up again on Mike Bertrand's trip on Aug. 29. Scott Larivee and John
Cohen of Brighton joined Mike. Things got off to a quick start with some fast
action on soft jerk baits fished on the surface. However, the wind and boat traffic
soon broke uo the fish. A joint decision was made to attempt a run outside. It
was bumpy and wet, but the right decision. A large school of bass was off the
Graves. The crew caught a number of bass up to 30 inches before the tide went
slack. A few more bass were caught on structure back inside on the way home. Jay
Molloy of Danvers celebrated his birthday fishing with his brothers, Jim and Mike
on Aug. 30. The Anchorage bite of yesterday failed to materialize, so it was off
to the outside. Anglers managed to catch a mixed bag of stripers and blues before
Jim and Mike had to return to Rowes Wharf to report to their jobs. Jay stayed
on board to hunt big fish. At the top of the tide, Captain Bill found a large
school of bass off Castle Island. Jay caught several more bass at Lower Middle
before calling it a day.
There are still openings for fall fishing. August
23, 2001 Jim
Lincoln of Pembroke fished with son, Travis and friend George. Dawn's minus tide
delayed launching until after first light's surface bite. We fished structure
spots without even a swirl. A decision was made to move to the outside to chase
bluefiish. Off the North Channel a few bluefish were encountered. However, a school
of hungry bass was also found. Jim and George did well casting Bass Assassins
on light tackle. But Travis was top rod, catching the most and largest at 32 inches.
Travis also caught a tagged fish that was released after all the information was
recorded. Early
morning storms forced the cancellation of Monday's trip with Paul Ryan and
Gerry Feely. Tuesday's
thick fog made fishing also difficult. Most of the fish were working the edges
of the channels, but the fog made it difficult to stay on them. Damon Reed brought
along John and Paul on this trip. Paul landed a legal size on an olive/white Half'N
Half. Damon continues to amaze fellow anglers with his straw fly. Capt. Bill and
Damon are working on a story about this unique fly. John lost the draw and was
forced to use spinning tackle while Damon and Paul used their fly rods. But John
was top rod, using soft jerk baits. A striper of over 40 inches was lost at boatside
when a 5/0 hook was straightened. Great fight but no fish, just a memory.
Thursday, Aug. 23 was a repeat outing for Tom Nowak of Medfield who was entertaining
Randy Long of Boylston, Ma. Tim Wern of Connecticut and Dr. Vander Salm of Rhode
Island. At dawn bass and blues surfaced, crashing on bait. These fish were not
very fussy and took a variety of flies, including poppers, herring patterns, and
snake flies. Randy, a veteran trout angler, was very surprised to have his fly
line and 100 yards of backing disappear from his 8 wt. outfit before he could
stop the fish. This striper hit a popper and tipper the scale
at almost 20 pounds. Bluefish were on the small side, 4-6 pounds, but later in
the morning the group would have to settle for them.A large school of bass was
found finning way offshore, but refused all offers. There
are still
some
openings
for the fall season. Be sure to book now. August
16, 2001 Jay
Hoffman of Marshfield fished on Friday, Aug. 10. The wind blew strong out of the
southwest, which put a damper on any fly fishing. Instead, it was light tackle
which produced bass up to 28 inches and some 4-6 pound bluefish. Most actionwas
in Quincy Bay. This trip ended just before the strong thunderstorms hit the area.
The
temperature on Saturday, Aug. 11 was 20 degrees cooler than on Friday and the
predicted light and variable winds blew strong out of the east. Steve Keller of
Dover brought along friend Mark Vargo and his two sons, neither of whom had ever
fished saltwater before. Fishing was much more difficult than previous days but
these anglers managed some bass and blues. Oldest son, Dennis outfished everyone,
but brother Cory caught the biggest of the day. Heavy
rain delayed the trip on Sunday, Aug. 12, so if there was an early morning bite,
we missed it. However, anglers, Dave Gale, the fishing dentist of Sharon and
Mike Moyer of Hanover found some decent action on bass. Dave used herring patterns
after bass refused snake flies, our usual offering. Mike used Bass Assassins on
light tackle. Fish were somewhat finicky, often tracking our lures but refusing
to hit. A number of bluefish were hooked, only to be lost when they bit through
mono leaders that were needed since bass refused wire leaders. Another
rain delay on Aug. 13 did not affect fly rodder J.T. Rosnock of Milton and Rick
Torelli. Once again the bass were finicky. But with much less wind than previous
days, anglers could see the fish and make better presentations. Fewer blues were
encountered and more bass were hooked. Biggest of the day was 34 inches on white
Bass Assassin Shad. On
Monday, Aug. 14 Damon Reed of Norwell and John Kiely of Temple, New Hampshire
brought back the wind. These experienced fly rodders managed to get their
flies out and attract a number of bass and bluefish. While John caught the largest
bass on herring patterns, Damon used his own creation, a straw fly made with a
plastic drinking straw to catch the largest bluefish of the day, a 12 pounder.
All action was in Quincy Bay. Mike
Bertrand of Medfield was on board for a return trip on Aug. 15. He brought along
Paul Rufo and John Cohan to experience the legendary Boston Harbor striper fishing.
Although no legal size fish were hooked, anglers were able to cast to some very
large bass. This was the first time in quite a while that there was a surface
bite in Boston. Bass were scattered throughout the Inner Triangle from Castle
Island to Deer Island to Spectacle Island. Bluefish were mixed in with the bass.
All fish were taken on light tackle. On
Aug. 16, Tom Nowak entertained Dr. Sari Aranki and his son Alex. Also on board
was Tom's son, Nicholas, a seasoned angler at age 10. It was a bass affair, with
Nicholas, Alex, and Dr. Aranki each catching their personal best. Largest striper
measured 35 1/2 inches, which Nicholas released after a few quick pictures. The
surface bite was limited to first light and then it was time to beat the structure.
August
10, 2001 Friday,
Aug 3 was the slowest day of the season but Carol Brown and Jim Howard
of Boston were persisent. Carol hooked a large bass on a jerk bait. At one point
she thought she had lost the fish, only to discover that it was charging the boat.
Even though this was the first striper she had ever hooked, she did a great job
fighting the bass until it headed for the rocks of Quincy Bay and parted the leader.
Carol also caught her first bluefish and Jim perfected his fly casting. What a
difference a day makes. On
Aug. 4, Bill Martin of the Picadilly Big Game Fishing Club brought along his eleven
year old nephew, Clinton. Anglers were into bass after bass, all taken on top
water lures. Bluefish were also mixed in. Clinton released several legal sized
bass before the rain forced an early end to the day
On Aug. 5, Daryl Staniszewski of Chicago brought Bill Nixon for his first battle
with legendary "Boston Harbor Bass". Bill caught his first harbor bass on his
first cast. Action was outstanding until low slack water when pea soup fog rolled
in. At this point, Draggin' Fly called it a day, but not before Bill and Daryl
caught and released lots of stripers and several bluefish. Mike Moyer of Hanover
brought along friends, Steve, Joe, and Mike. The fishing got off to a quick start
with Joe catching bluefish on top water lures and the other anglers catching bass.
After this initial spurt, action slowed down to a pick. Mike Moyer hooked a large
bass only to have the hook pull. A few bass were pulled from the ledges, including
a legal size
fish released by Mike. Fly
rodder, John Kieley of New Hampshire found fishing slow on Aug. 7 until the tide
turned and began to move in. Stripers and blues also began to attack bait on the
surface. John caught several stripers up to 30 inches along with bluefish. Herring
flies worked best. Actiion was along Western Way and in Dorchester Bay.
The
dawn bite was on again on Aug. 8 for Jim Fitzpatrick of Holbrook and fellow police
officers Bill and Phil. These anglers landed several stripers up to 32 inches
and several bluefish. Most if the action was in Quincy Bay.Yesterday's hot spots
off Dorchester were dead today. Bass Assassins and poppers were the lures of choice.
Expert
fly rodder, Damon Reed of Hanover invited Fisherman's field editor, Ed Novak along
for an early morning trip on Aug. 9. It didn't take long for these anglers to
tie into fish. On the first drift over Jackknife Ledge in the fore River, bass
were taken on both the long rod and Bass Assassins. Damon loves to catch fish
on top and worked poppers all morning catching bass and blues. Ed has more to
write about the harbor. Special thanks to Capt. Al Costa for the use of his Whaler
while Draggin' Fly Too underwent needed maintenance.
Saturday,
July 28th Just
a few hours after landing at Boston Logan Airport, coming from London, my  wife
Florence and myself embarked with cousin Roger on Midnight Charter IV. No better
idea to get rid of the jet lag than waking up at 5.30 am for a fishing party!
After
quick lessons about how to throw a hook, we trained with the mysterious umbrella,
one of Roger's tricks. Actually, we have to say that it was very efficient as
we caught rapidly a pair of sea basses in one go. Unfortunately (for us), they
were too small and went back to the sea immediately. But it was already exciting!
Things turned seriously as a 37 inches sea bass played with the umbrella for a
while until we got it aboard. Then two more followed as Roger expertise to track
them made it all. Undoubtedly,
this was a unique experience and we won't unveil the exact spot as we intend to
come back very soon and be as successful as we were on this first day.
Olivier
Maffrand July
25, 2001 Peter
Gallagher of Norwell entertained Joe and Ron on July 20. It was a late start  because
of the minus tide. We found a nice school of bass off Spectacle but had difficulty
getting them to bite. Once the tide began to pull, the fish became more cooperative.
Throughout the morning, anglers caught bass after bass on soft baits. The fish
were scattered throughout the inner harbor. Biggest fish to the boat was 35 inches
caught by Joe on a Bass Assassin Shad. Peter hooked a good sized bass but lost
it when the leader broke. On
July 21, David Fredrickson brought along his wife Julie and his dad, Vic,
who was up visiting from North Carolina. Fishing was tougher than it had been
all season. Some larger schools of bass were encountered in the Anchorage but
broke up quickly when the weekend crowd got on them. Fish were caught on chartreuse
Half'N Halfs and soft baits. Regular
client, Paul Ponichera of Hingham put together the crew for a trip July 22. Early
morning was very slow but fish surfaced after the tide began to come in. There
were fewer boats than the previous day, so fish stayed together better. Action
was in the Anchorage and the north side of Long Island. All fish were caught on
Bass Assassins. Action
began early on July 24 for Damon Reed and John Kiley, with lots of action on school
sized fish. Best action was on white snake flies fished on an intermediate line.
Switching to Teeny deep sinking lines and heavy Half"n Halfs, both anglers caught
bigger bass up to 30 inches in the Gut. Wind forced an early ending to the day.
Mike
Bertrand from Marshfield fished the morning of July 25. The bite was fast and
furious off Hull. Biggest fish was 30 inches but a much larger fish was lost.
All fish were caught on soft jerk baits retrieved quickly on the surface. Mike,
a southern warm water fisherman, was surprised how these lures could bring fish
up to attack on the surface. Clayton
Smith of New Hampshire brought along his son, Matt who was visiting from Oklahoma.
Matt also brought along his girlfriend, Dannie, who caught her first ever saltwater
fish. Fishing was much slower than the previous two days. Moving to the rocks,
anglers managed to catch 7-8 legal sized stripers before the strong northwest
winds made it too difficult to drift along the structure.
July
19, 2001 On
July 13th, Jay Hoffman, of Marshfield, broke the "Friday the Thirteenth" omen
by catching the first bass of the trip within minutes of the dock. On
the tide change, large size bass trapped bait in the Narrows between Gallop's
and Lovell's Islands. Legal size fish were landed and released on each drift.
Jay also tamed bass at Nantasket Roads and Deer Island Flats. Hot baits were Bass
Assassin Shads and large herring flies. Paul
Ponichera of Hingham brought along two novice anglers for a light tackle trip
on July 14th. Again Anglers caught school sized bass within minutes of the dock.
After practicing on these fish, it was time to hunt the big bass. Friend,
Joe, hooked a big bass that took off towards South Boston on the first drift.
With some coaching from Paul the fish was landed. It tipped the scale a little
less than 30 pounds. Paul also got himself a good size bass on a soft bait before
switching to the fly rod. Sunday,
July 15, Paul Linsay of Newton and sons Ben and Daniel were aboard for a repeat
charter. Action began at dawn and continued for the next several hours. Ben, an
accomplished fly rodder at 12 years of age, caught and released several bass up
to 35 inches on a herring fly. Daniel, using light tackle was constantly tight
to bass and also released several legal sized fish. Meanwhile, Dad was busy with
his fly rod when the surface bite ended, he caught several more fish using Half'n
Halfs fished deeper. It was a trip the Lenses will not soon forget. Repeat
client Paul Callinan of Holbrook brought along Dan Haley on July 16th. Just after
first light, bass pushed bait right up onto Bumpkin Flats. Jerk baits got their
attention quickly. Next stop was Hospital Shoals with similar results. Although
some big bass were located,smaller fish managed to beat them to the lures. The
trip ended with the anglers sight casting to bass in the shallow waters off Quincy.
Ernie
Milani of Norwell brought along his son Ernie who has been working in Sweden for
the past year on July 17th. The fish cooperated but the weather did not. Forecasted
occasional showers were over Draggin Fly Too all morning. Before calling it a
day and son managed to catch a number of stripers up to 34 inches all on light
tackle. There
was no rain on July 18th but the fog made it very difficult for Mike and Bruce
Moyer to find each other let alone stay on fish. After a short early morning bite
the fish were very difficult to find. Once the tide turned the fish turned on.
The
Moyer brothers caught several legal sized fish up to 38 inches that were released.
The best action was on white Bass Assassin Shads. bdes Jay
Molloy of the downtown Boston law-firm Skaddar, Arps, Slate, Megher, and Flan
organized a five boat fish-off on July 19th. Jay and Tony took the early trip
aboard Draggin Fly Too to find the fish for the other boats. And that they did.
All anglers were tight to bass within minutes of their Rowes Wharf pickup. Many
of these anglers had never fished before and now are hooked on Boston Harbor fishing.
Biggest fish of the day was 31 inches and most were caught on Sluggos and Fin-s
Fish.
July 12, 2001
On
July 6 Daryl Staniszewski of Atlanta, Georgia and friends Phil and Tim found very
cooperative bass early morning. Fish were caught in 8 feet of water in Quincy
Bay. Biggest fish was a little larger than 30 inches but much bigger fish were
sighted. Tim also caught the first Boston Harbor bluefish of the year. On the
coming tide, stripers exploded on the surface in the Anchorage and off Castle
Island. All fish were caught on light tackle using Bass Assassins. Saturday,
July 7 was a family affair with Steve Keller of Dover entertaining his dad, Rev.
Ron Keller and his mom, Joan. Also on board was his 3 1/2 year old son. Fishing
was slower than past days but Joan caught her first ever striper, which was legal
size. She released this fish as Cole watched closely. At the bottom of the tide,
the Kellers picked at bass in Quincy. There was a quick surface bite off Castle
Island which we made the most of by catching a few on Half'N Halfs and Bass Assassins.
Jim
Fitzpatrick of Holbrook brought along sons, Matt and Brian on July 8. The forecast
was for occassional light showers, which meant it would rain over the Draggin'
Fly all day. The rain did not deter the fish. This crew fished with light tackle
to catch bass up to 25 pounds and bluefish up to 10 pounds, with larger fish breaking
off. The fish even bit through slack water.
On July 9, Bill Manning of Holbrook and R.J. Crocker of Saugus were aboard for
an early morning trip. There was an excellent early morning bite in Hull. After
the tide turned, loads of stripers were found ripping up bait off the airport.
Fish were not as big as the previous day, but Bill and R.J. caught many on jerk
baits, all on the surface. Biggest bass were 30 inches. Jay
Molloy entertained associates on a fog delayed trip on July 10. After a 6:30 pick
up in Boston, Jay and friends were tight to fish at the Castle Island ledges within
minutes. Tony, a freshwater angler from Toronto landed his first striper, a 32
inch beauty on a jerk bait. Ross, a first timer, landed the biggest fish of the
day, which tipped the Boga scale at just less than 20 pounds. All three anglers
will participate in a five boat fish-off next week. Veteran
fly rodder, Dave Deitz of Sharon brought along his son, Andrew for a trip on July
11. There was a great surface bite, with fish up to 32 inches landed on white
snake flies and Dave's herring fly. Both anglers decided to try fishing deeper,
so they switched to teeny fast sinking lines and large Half'N Halfs. Bigger fish
were landed and a real cow was hooked up for over 20 minutes before the line parted.
On July 12, Damon Reed of Norwell and John Kieley of New Hampshire brought along
Christine Raisig, who had never fished before. On her first cast in Hull, Christine
hooked and landed a schoolie on a Bass Assassin Shad. After practicing on small
fish, she caught the largest fish of the trip, a 31 inch bass. The gusty SW wind
blew the bait all over the inner harbor, so fish were more scattered.
July
5, 2001 On
June 29, Jim Fitzpatrick and friends were treated to explosive surface action.
No fly rodders on this trip but some excellent light tackle anglers. Best action
was on the backside of George's where large stripers had bait trapped along the
shoreline. Soft baits retrieved erratically brought many heart stopping attacks.
On the weekend, Draggin'Fly Charters moved south to avoid the holiday crowds
in the harbor. We fished off the rocks at Manomet Point. The water was very clear
so Mike Mercier was able to spot his targets. There were more followers than takers
but Mike managed to catch bass and one bluefish, all on snake flies. Bass were
up to 34 inches.
Monday, July 2, it was back to the harbor for Draggin'Fly
Too. The wind blew hard out of the northwest but Cap Vinal and his wife Paige
caught one bass after another, all on the surface. The hot lure was a white 7
inch Bass Assassin Shad which matched the size of the herring that the fish were
feeding on. Action was spread out along Nantasket Roads. Rick Lucas put together
the crew for an extended trip on July 3. Action began at first light off the Graves
and moved into the Inner Harbor on the incoming tide. Size of the fish was very
mixed, from 32 inches to small schoolies. Again soft baits worked the best.
July 5 was Ed Nowak's day to tame harbor bass with his famous reverse popper.
Ed is the regional field editor of the Fisherman who, even at eighty, can still
fling a rod with pin-point accuracy. Bass were not as active as they had been
earlier in the week, probably because they feed all night on the full moon. However,
there was enough action to "tire out the Old Gopher". Fish were spread out throughout
the Inner Harbor.
June
28, 2001
Dr. Erik Berhe of Florida fished June 22-23 with son David.
The fog on Day 1 kept us out of some of our more productive waters, but anglers
persisted and found decent action in the shallows away from boat traffic. The
weather on Day 2 was more coooperative and so were the fish. There was good action
on surface baits.
On June 24, Kevin Hokanson of Marshfield brought along Bob,
his fishing buddy. They were treated to non-stop surface action. No big fish were
landed but both anglers had shots at them. Fish avereaged 22-28 inches and best
action was along Nantasket Roads.
 Repeat
clients, Paul Ryan and Gerry Feeley of Marshfield got onto big fish up to 38 inches
in the Fore River on June 25. Paul used a white popper on his fly rod and Gerry
fished white jerk baits.
Tom Novak entertained Dr. Steve Levitsky on June
26. Dr. Levitsky has fished all over the world and was totally surprised with
the world class striper fishing available in his backyard. Within five minutes
of a Rowes Wharf pickup, both anglers were tight to legal bass. All action was
on the top and it lasted until slack low water.
Dan Shea of Penn Tackle and
Art Levalle of Acme Tackle were on board on June 27 to test proto-type tackle.
Big bass up to 25 pounds were landed on flies and light tackle. Art fished a new
spoon that his company is developing for redfish. He can now add stripe bass to
the species that will eat this lure. Action was from Nantasket Roads to Long Island.
On June 28, Brian Ribaubo of New Hampshire arrived at the dock a half hour early
with his fishing partner Paul, so we got an early start to the day. And what a
start! Paul's third fish of the day was 18 pounds, which was released. Brian caught
a number of fish on clousers and Half'n halfs up to keeper size. Both anglers
had shots at some very big fish. | 
