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September 14, 2003
Saturday, Sept. 13 Brian McLaughlin of Nashua, a high liner on past charters,
brought along his brother, Kevin and his 15 year old nephew, Joe from
Medfield. The dawn bite never really materialized. However, the crew wrestled
with a few blues and a good size bass that won the battle before Captain
Bill decided
to move to shallow water to hunt fish in Dorchester Bay. There was very
little bird activity but the fish were there. At first, at was all bluefish
that took poppers and soft jerk baits. Then Joe got things rolling, landing
the first bass on a Bass Assassin. Kevin struck next, also on an Assassin.
This fish made a very substantial first run and Kevin knew it was a good
fish. After a quick picture, the 34 inch linesider was released. Joe caught
a 30 inch bass that was also released. The crew caught a few more bass
and blues. The "Hahbah
Rookies" more than held their own on this trip.
Mary and Rob Cloutier of Maine were aboard for Sunday's trip. Rob caught
a bluefish and a legal size bass just after sunrise on Sculpin Ledge.
The fish did not stay up for long so the Draggin' Fly continued
the hunt. A mixed school of bass and blues was found working bait along
the shallow waters of
Governor's Flats. It was here that Mary caught her first ever striper
on a Bass Assassin. Rob got the routine of working soft jerk baits down
quickly. The slower the baits were worked, the more fish they raised.
His biggest was just a hair shy of 36 inches, just a little bigger than
the trout and bass he is used to
catching in Maine.
September 7, 2003
Sunday, Aug. 31 Dana Wiebi, Chris Londo and Doug Miller of Boston and
Jim Frey of Somerville were on board to celebrate Doug's birthday. Captain
Bill expected trouble when he learned that all of the crew were originally
from New York and were Yankee fans. Chris was the first to score with
a 30 inch
linesider caught in seven feet of water in Dorchester Bay. Jim followed
with a 32 inch bass. Dana caught two that measured just short of legal
size. Doug practiced on smaller schoolies. The lures of choice were rubber
shads. After the tide turned, Captain Bill moved the Draggin' Fly inside
Quincy Bay. The first stop
at Sunken Ledge was not productive so the crew moved into skinny water.
Several fish from 26-28 inches were hooked and released. Dana landed her
biggest, a fat 30 inch bass and Doug's football shaped 32 incher took
top honors as top fish of the trip.
Dave Gale and Bruce Moyer of Sharon were aboard the Draggin' Fly
on Sunday, Sept. 7. It looked like the slow fishing that was reported
to Captain Bill over the past few days was going to change as a good size
school of bass had bait trapped along Hangman's Island. But the bite lasted
only long enough to
get one bass to the boat on a Bass Assassin. The next stop on the Deer
Island Flats was not much more productive. Only two fish were hooked with
one being boated. There was plenty of peanut bunker but very few fish.
Back inside, the crew managed only one more bass before calling it a day.
August 30, 2003
Sunday, Paul Ponichtera of Hingham and Bruce Parsons of Sheffield were
on board for part 2 of their two day charter. Joining them were Bruce's
son, Josh and Paul's neighbor, Russell. They were greeted with a gusty
northwest wind that continued to increase throughout the day. When the
morning bite failed to
materialize, Captain Bill headed north and found a good school of bass
on Sculpin Ledge. Bass Assassins got their attention. At one time, all
four anglers were hooked up to bass from 25-27 inches. The next stop at
the Deer Island flats produced similar action. As the wind strengthened
and boat traffic increased, the fish broke up. Moving back inside to probe
some rock piles, Bruce connected with the first fish over 30 inches. Before
calling it a day, the crew caught two more legal size bass and two bluefish.
The Reker family, DeAnn, Douglas, and Angela of Minnesota, along with
Angela's boyfriend, Jeff were on board for an early morning trip on Monday.
Doug was the first to score on a 30 inch striper just after sunrise. For
the next hour, the crew caught and released stripers on the Governor's
Flats. At one
time, all four anglers were hooked up to legal size bass. The next stop
was Dorchester Bay. The fish here were small schoolies and just when Captain
Bill was going to move to another spot, the Bay exploded. Action was nonstop
as bass and blues attacked the soft jerk baits that the crew cast. Doug
caught the
largest, a 17 and a half pounder, but Angela was high rod. It seemed that
the fish liked her dance that she used when she retrieved her lure. The
Reker family found Draggin' Fly's website (www.fishboston.com)
and decided that the trip would be a neat event to add to their visit.
And boy, were they right!
Jay Molloy brought his six year old son, Connor on Tuesday. Connor's first
fish was 26 inches that fell for a Bass Assassin. Jay and Connor cast
to a small pod of bass on Sculpin Ledge but the fish didn't stay up for
long. Jay managed only one more fish. In Dorchester Bay, the anglers found
scattered pods of schoolies and some blues. Captain Bill cast a Grizzly
fly and Connor retrieved the line catching two bass. When Jay caught and
released a 29 inch bass, Connor reminded him that Grandma requested a
bass for the grill. On Governor's Flats, Jay filled the request with his
37 inch bass.
Wednesday, Draggin' Fly regulars, Damon Reed of Norwell and John
Kieley of New Hampshire could not keep their date, so they invited friend,
Ed Nowak, senior editor of The Fisherman, to take their place. Ed brought
along his son, Kenneth. The forecast was for 10-15 SW winds. At the dock,
it was already
blowing 15 when the crew pushed off. There were scattered schools of bass
throughout the Deer Island flats. However, the wind not only made it difficult
to cast but nearly impossible to keep the boat on the fish. Ken managed
to catch a blue on a Vivif jig and lost another that bit through the leader.
In Dorchester
Bay, conditions were the same: wind and scattered pods of bass just shy
of 28 inches. Back on the Governor's Flats the crew caught a few more
bass up to keeper size in 8-10 feet of water. As the winds picked up over
25 mph, Captain Bill headed in. One last stop in Quincy Bay brought Ken's
biggest bass of the day, a fat 32 inch fish.
Thursday, Paul Ryan of Marshfield and Gerry Feely of Waltham were aboard
for their final trip of the season. Joining them was Jay Bouryeols of
Waltham. The Draggin' Fly pushed off before dawn to cast to nocturnal
bass. On the second drift along the rocks in Quincy, Jay hooked into a
nice bass and almost
immediately Gerry also connected with a hot fish. Jay's measured 34 inches
and Gerry's was just a little shorter. At slack low water, the crew moved
off shore in search of bluefish. Pickings were thin. Only Paul connected,
just to have the fish cut through the rubber bait. Back inside the fish
never came up on the flats as they had the previous days. Moving into
Quincy, Gerry caught and released another legal size bass. Paul hooked
a very hot fish that used all of its body to finally open the swivel.
Joe Ramaci of Braintree and Matt Kiley of Brockton were aboard Friday
for an early morning light tackle trip. The morning began with bluefish
that managed to use their teeth to escape. Joe and Matt cast Bass Assassins
to a small pod of breaking bass. These fish were keyed into small bait
and were very selective. Joe managed to fool a few. A run offshore failed
to find any bluefish. Back inside, Matt caught a fish that measured 22
inches on a plastic shad on the Governor's Flats. Jeff and Matt caught
a few more stripers before moving to Quincy Bay to explore the rock structure.
And for the second day in a row,
the fish won! When Joe hooked a very large bass, to crashed on his lure
and headed straight to the rocks. Joe was unable to stop this fish which
gained its freedom.
Saturday, Steve Kerr of Plymouth brought along his 12 year old son, Jimmy
and his 15 year old nephew, Philip Preskevis of Roslindale for a light
tackle trip. Just after sunrise large flocks of birds began to work the
massive schools of silversides in the Fore River, but there were no fish
on this bait. In Quincy Bay, Captain Bill found enough fish to keep the
crew busy. On the incoming tide, the blues began to tear up bait in Wollaston.
Though not big, they put on a good show on the light spinning rods. The
lure of choice was the Bass Assassin. Jim is a seasoned veteran having
caught some large bass on a previous trip on the Draggin' Fly,
but Philip had never fished before. By the end of the trip, he was casting
well and caught the largest fish of the day that was destined for the
grill.
August 24, 2003
Monday, Damon Reed of Norwell and John Kieley of New Hampshire were
aboard for their weekly trip. The morning bite never materialized. A few
bass were raised in Wollaston but only one was hooked. One scrappy bluefish
also hit a chartreuse Grizzly Fly. More cooperative bass were found in
Lower Middle but
these were on the small size. The crew moved to Dorchester Bay to fish
tight to the shore. Damon and John switched from their fly rods to soft
plastics. Both caught several bass up to 30 inches.
Tom Novak of Medfield entertained Dr. Bruce Leavitt of Vermont on Tuesday.
Dr. Leavitt is an experienced freshwater fly fisher but this was his first
time in the salt. After a little coaching, he hooked his first striper
on one of Captain Bill's Grizzly Flies. At the same time, Tom blasted
another striper on a Bass Assassin. The surface bite didn't last for long
so the crew was forced to move out of the shallows and hunt deeper structure.
Tom and Dr. Leavitt caught several bass up to 26 inches at Lower Middle
before deciding to try the Castle Island Ledges for bigger fish. However,
it seemed that the fish were not going to get any larger today. The fish
on the Ledges were the same larger schoolies as the anglers caught at
Lower Middle.
Wednesday, Kevin Hokanson of Marshfield brought his three younger brothers,
Mark, Jeff, and Ryan. Just after dawn a small pod of bass was found in
Quincy Bay. The Hokanson clan caught several just short of legal size.
After these fish broke up, the Draggin' Fly moved to Governor's
Flats where the crew caught and released several school size bass. Back
in Quincy, Jeff landed the biggest bass of the trip that was destined
to be the centerpiece of the Hokanson cookout. At the bottom of the tide,
bluefish invaded theBay.Captain Bill was kept busy unhooking the fish
and rerigging soft jerk baits. As Kevin said, "It was a great way
to end the trip."
Dr. Dave Deitz of Sharon brought along his oldest son, Matt on Thursday.
This would be one of the last times Matt could relax before starting his
last semester at U. Mass. While Dave used his fly rod, Matt tossed Bass
Assassins on light spinning rods. It didn't take long to convince Captain
Bill that he was as good a fisherman as his dad by hooking a large bass
in the shallow water of Quincy. This fish put a major strain on his light
rod as it burned out over 100 yards of line. Just as it looked like the
bass was going to reach the safety of the nearby lobster buoy, Matt turned
him and won the battle. This bass measured just short of 40 inches and
weighed about 30 pounds on the boga. Both Dave and Matt caught a few more
bass before a decision was made to run offshore. In the shipping lanes
five miles east of Nahant, the Draggin' Fly encountered a large
school of bluefish that kept all hands busy. Dave used a foam popper on
his fly rod and Matt used a yozuri popper on his light spinning rod. These
blues were considerably larger than their cousins in the Inner Harbor.
Friday, Penn Tackle representative, Dan Shea of New Hampshire invited
Art Lavallee, manufacturer of Acme Lures and Paul White, tackle buyer
for New England Tackle Company to share his trip. Both Paul and Art caught
school bass and small blues in Quincy's shallow waters. However, the fish
refused Dan's
flies. The dawn bite was not as strong as the previous day, so the crew
decided to move offshore. Again, a sizable school of blues was found in
the shipping lanes. Paul worked poppers and Art threw Acme Lures to catch
bluefish up to 10 pounds. Dan got hot! Using a slider on his fly rod,
he caught big blues on every
cast. Several times, all three anglers hooked up at once.
Paul Ponichtera of Hingham put together Saturday's light tackle crew,
which included son Eric of Scituate, Bruce Parsons of Sheffield, and Andy
Read of Hingham. At dawn, the anglers used Bass Assassin Shads to catch
and release several bass up to near legal size and small bluefish. At
one point, the Draggin' Fly was surrounded by acres of breaking
fish just outside of the Fore River. Running outside, The Draggin' Fly
spotted a large school of bluefish clobbering herring. Today, there were
ten times the number of boats fishing this school than the previous few
days. Some of these trolled over the school and others ran over them to
get a few casts. Although each angler caught healthy blues, the catch
was not as good as it could have been. Back inside, Captain Bill found
some big bass on rock structure. Paul was the first to connect on a soft
bait that put on quite a surface show. This fat 36 inch linesider weighed
in at over 20 pounds. Andy was the next to bring up a big bass and Bruce
was right behind him. Although Eric could not break the 30 inch mark,
he caught the most bass and the most blues.
August 16, 2003
Monday, JT Rosnock of Milton and his nine year old son, Jack were aboard.
The Draggin' Fly left dock later than normal because of the minus
tide. JT connected with the first bass using a chartreuse passion fly
just outside the Back River. The bass drove the bait in such shallow water
that Captain Bill could not get the Draggin' Fly close enough to
reach them. In Quincy Bay, another pod of bass was encountered. This time
Jack proved that he was as good an angler as his dad. Casting a Bass Assassin,
he hooked a nice bass on the first drift. Moving into Boston, the crew
found that they were too late-the bite was over. JT hooked a very large
fish on the Deer Island flats that ran through much of the backing before
he could turn the fish. When things looked good with JT retrieving all
his backing and some running line, the fish took off again into some lobster
gear. That's the end of the story.
Phil Strazula of Norwell and Bill Rovelto of Hanover invited newcomer
Tony Botts of Middleboro to experience "Hahba Bassin'" on Tuesday.
The crew met Captain Bill well before dawn. Fishing Bass Assassins along
the Castle Island Ledges got plenty of attention. As the sun came up,
the fish began to school and attack bait. Action was red hot until slack
tide. No one kept count of the number of fish but they were well into
double digits. On the incoming tide, the Draggin' Fly fished the
Deer Island flats and caught a few more bass up to legal size. Moving
back into Quincy, the thick fog rolled in, so Captain Bill
decided to fish some rock structure along Long Island. A good decision,
as the crew intercepted a nice pod of bass. action lasted throughout the
morning.
Wednesday, seasonal clients, Damon Reed of Norwell and John Kieley of
New Hampshire were on board for their weekly trip. The fog made it difficult
to find fish but Captain Bill put anglers into school size fish. At low
water, Damon hooked a very hot fish that ran out over 100 yards of backing
and put a major strain on his 9 weight fly rod. The fish measured 38 inches
and it was released. Not to be outdone, John landed a 36 inch bass. It
looked like Damon was going to take honors as top rod, when a large bass
engulfed John' chartreuse Grizzly Fly. Fishing in very shallow water of
the Deer Island flats, this fished used every inch of its body to gain
its freedom. This fish also measured 38 inches and it too was released
after a quick photo session.
Jack Fallon of Milford, NH brought along his teenage son, Nick and Nate
Parker for a light tackle trip on Thursday morning. Pushing off in the
dark, the Draggin' Fly ran to Boston to catch the dawn bite. The
boys, who had done some freshwater fishing, were surprised how strong
stripers can be. The first stop produced some good action on Bass Assassins.
At the bottom of the tide, Jack hit a big bass in very shallow water that
put on quite a show fighting on the surface. This fish managed to throw
the hook. Nate was the next to connect. His fish ran out almost 100 yards
of line before entangling itself in some lobster gear. During the rest
of they trip, the Fallon crew picked at small bass.
Tom Nowak of Medfield entertained Dr. Sary Aranki and his young son, Alex.
There were no fish in Dorchester where the Draggin' Fly had been
hitting them over the past several days. Moving into they shallow waters
of Quincy Bay, Tom was the first to connect with a near legal size bass.
Alex caught a small bass, as did his dad. Action was on soft jerk baits.
At slack water, Captain Bill worked the Castle Island ledges, where Alex
and Dr. Aranki had a lot of practice catching and releasing small bass.
After the tide turned, the crew cast Bass Assassin Shads along Wollaston
Beach, catching several bass and blues
before heading back to Rowes Wharf.
Saturday, Brian Shura and Chris Martin met Captain Bill before dawn with
the goal of finding some nocturnal bass. Chris connected with a bluefish
on the first drift and he managed to land it before it cut through his
Bass Assassin. Brian caught a small bass before getting cut off by a blue.
In Boston, Brian and Chris caught and released several bass up to legal
size. After the turn of the tide, the crew moved into Wollaston Beach.
The fish were much less cooperative than the previous day. They made a
slap at the lures but missed they hook on several occasions.
August 9, 2003
Sunday, Aug. 3, Bruce Moyer of Sharon entertained fly rodder Dave Gale.
The Draggin' Fly pushed off long before dawn hoping to catch some
nocturnal bass. However, this was not to be the case. Both Bruce and Dave
played tug of war with some blues that won, cutting them off several times.
Later in the tide,
small pods of bass were found in Dorchester Bay and on the Deer Island
Flats. Dave tried several of his tyes, fooling one on a clouser and another
on a popper. Bruce caught a few on jerk baits. Overall, it was a slow
day, one in which the fish were content to just lazily cruise the surface.
Gerry Feeley of Waltham and Paul Ryan of Marshfield joined Captain Bill
on Monday. As the sun began to pinken the horizon, Paul was the first
to connect on a 30 inch bass. But the morning bite never materialized.
Captain Bill searched the shallows of Quincy, Dorchester, and Winthrop
with no success. Paul fished the fly rod and Gerry cast soft jerk baits.
Although Gerry had several follows, the fish failed to connect. At the
bottom of the tide, Paul switched off the long rod and connected on the
first big fish of the day on a soft
plastic Shad. In six feet of water, this 34 inch bass put on a good show.
His next bass was a fat 36 inch fish. Then the rain came and forced a
hasty retreat. On the way back into the Back River, the crew encountered
a school of bass. Not wanting to risk mutiny, Captain Bill stopped and
the anglers caught two more legal size bass on jerk baits. Paul and Gerry
were wet but both had big smiles.
Tuesday, John Kieley of New Hampshire was minus his regular sidekick,
Damon Reed. The bass got the best of John and Captain Bill, winning the
sunrise bite. Although several were hooked, all managed to throw the hook
or break off. After the turn of the tide, John did better catching and
releasing a 34 and
36 inch bass on soft jerk baits. The largest bass put on quite a show
in the shallow water of Dorchester Bay stripping out over 100 yards of
line before she could be turned.
Wednesday, Draggin' Fly veterans Dan Fallon and Brian McLaughlin
of Nashua, N.H. invited Guy Nicholas of Chelmsford to join them for a
light tackle trip. Brian was the first to connect, landing and releasing
a 34 inch bass minutes from dock. Dan was the next to connect, releasing
a 30 inch bass just off of Princess Head. As the tide turned, Captain
Bill moved into Dorchester Bay, but it was too late. Dan managed to catch
a school bass on a Bass Assassin and Brian got one on a jig. Running back
into Quincy, the crew found more cooperative fish and Guy proved that
he could keep up with Dan and Brian, catching and releasing five bass
from 30-38 inches. Dan and Brian also released several fish over 30 inches.
Guy is another convert to "Hahbah Striper Fishing."
Dave Deitz of Sharon brought along his son, Andrew for a fly rod trip
on Thursday. Captain Bill moved the Draggin' Fly to Boston. The
surface bite actually began before sunrise. Dave used a large chartreuse
snake fly and Andrew used a small Half 'N Half, catching and releasing
several bass including a legal size fish. As the fog rolled in, it became
difficult to stay on fish, so a decision was made to move inside to search
the shallows. Andrew broke a guide and was forced to use a spinning rod.
Twitching a Bass Assassin very slowly on the surface, he brought up several
fish. His biggest weighed 22 pounds on the Boga grip. Dave also switched
tactics and caught a 20 pounder. Dave admitted to Captain Bill that getting
up extra early paid off.
Rain forced a delayed start on Friday. And just when the weather looked
like it would turn, torrential rain spread over the South Shore.
Saturday, Paul Ponichtera of Hingham brought along his neighbor Jim Gorman.
The start was delayed for another angler was MIA or MOOA (missing out
on the action). Paul connected with a fat 29 inch bass on wreck rock.
Because of the late start, the tide was running too hard to fish this
area, so the crew moved into Dorchester Bay. There were some fish on the
surface but there were also a lot of boats working them. Running over
to Governor's Flats, another pod of bass was found on the surface. Paul
connected with one on a jerk bait before they sounded. Later in the tide,
Jim caught and released bass up to 30 inches on Bass Assassins. Fish were
also pulled off the rip at Long Island in eight feet of water. Paul ended
the day hooking the largest bass of the day in the shallows of Quincy
Bay.
August 2, 2003
Saturday, July 26 Bob Sutherland of Pittsburg, N.Y. returned to Boston
for his annual trip aboard the Draggin' Fly. The fish were a bit
slow getting started, but once they came up, they drove bait throughout
Dorchester Bay. Bob used a 9 weight fly rod to tame several bass up to
legal size. At one point, Captain Bill had Bob casting into very shallow
water where the bass had the bait pinned into inches of water. After the
surface bite died out, the Draggin' Fly moved to the Deer Island
Flats where two small bass were hooked. Bob kept Captain Bill entertained
during this slow period with tales of his tarpon
fishing this past winter.
Draggin' Fly regular, Dave Gale of Sharon, brought along Joel Kessler
of Stoughton for an early morning trip on Sunday. The dawn bite in Dorchester
never materialized. Although a few bass were jumped along Thompson Island,
Dave and Joel never connected. They did get into a short spurt of action
in South
Boston. The only fly that appealed to the bass was a bead headed maribou.
Captain Bill took the crew offshore to look for bluefish but found none.
Joel did hook up with a very large bass that put on quite a show in very
shallow water. Evidently, the fish rolled on the line and the line parted.
And that was the
end of the story.
Monday, Damon Reed of Norwell joined Captain Bill well before dawn with
plans to search some rock piles for nocturnal bass. For this trip, Damon
put aside his long rod in favor of a 12 pound spinning rod. Captain Bill
and Damon managed to lure three bass from 32 to 36 inches out of the rocks
before heading to Boston to pick up Damon's fishing partner, John Kieley
of New Hampshire. Just outside of the city, the crew ran into busting
fish and out came the fly rods. John used maribou bunnies to catch bass
up to 30 inches. Damon tried every one of his tyes before admitting defeat
and switching back to conventional
tackle and soft baits. This worked as he landed three bass from 34 to
38 inches.
Captain Bill convinced Jay Hoffman of Marshfield and Adrian Jackson of
Charlestown to meet him well before dawn on Tuesday. Again, this was worth
the loss of sleep. Both anglers landed bass up to 20 pounds. Once the
sun came up, the Draggin' Fly moved into very shallow water in
Quincy Bay. Adrian shined here, catching legal size bass in inches of
water. He's hooked on the Harbor!
Wednesday, Paul Callinan and Dan Haley of Holbrook met Captain Bill long
before sunup for their annual charter. It didn't take long for Paul to
connect to the first bass and the action lasted until the bottom of the
tide. For the rest of the trip, the crew worked the shallows of Dorchester
Bay. Working Bass Assassins VERY slowly in one to three feet of water,
Paul and Dan caught several more legal size bass. The tally for the day
was twelve bass up to 34 inches and all but one of these were over 30
inches.John Lordan of Cambridge and Harry Graff of Norfolk were surrounded
by bass minutes from their pickup at Rowes Wharf. John was the first to
connect with a chartreuse Passion fly. These fish proved to be difficult
to catch. They moved quickly around Dorchester Bay. There was another
quick spurt of surface action off of Castle Island with mixed bass and
bluefish.The Draggin' Fly moved into the shallow waters of Quincy
Bay to hunt for bigger fish. Harry and John switched to spinning rods
to cast Bass Assassins. These experienced anglers managed to lure three
bass from 30-35 inches to hit. These fish are very leary in this shallow
water and lures must be worked slowly with side to side action.
Friday was the annual outing for the Skaden law firm of Boston. Jay Molloy
worked with Captain Bill to coordinate this five boat trip. The Draggin'
Fly and Captain Al's Patty-Ann did the early morning run. The early
boats were into a serious blitz of bass minutes from Rowes Wharf. By the
time the other three boats got out at 7:30 the morning bite was over.
The boats were forced to troll during slack tide and everyone caught fish.
The rain never let up and as the fog rolled in, Captain Bill called it
a day. On the way back to Boston, a school of bass was found attacking
bait on the surface. Switching to spinning tackle, several bass up to
30 inches were caught and released. It was a storybook ending that made
these anglers forget that they were soaking wet.
The heavy rain and pea-soup for forced Captain Bill to cancel Saturday's
trip.
July 25, 2003
Sunday, Paul Ponichtera of Hingham invited three friends to share his
trip aboard the Draggin' Fly.
Joining him were friends Russ, Herb, and Alan. Paul normally fly fishes
but with a full boat,
he opted to use light tackle. A school of legal size bass was found off
the Sugar Bowl at dawn. Paul was the first to connect with a 30 inch bass
on a Bass Assassin. Russ got his keeper on a
Vivif jig. Alan got the first bluefish, also on a Vivif jig. Herb got
a 30 inch bass on a weighted shad.
The bite didn't last as long as the previous day but the fish were bigger.
The crew picked off a few more bass from the rocks before the end of the
day.
Monday, J.T. Rosnock of Milton and Rich Torelli met Captain Bill before
dawn. Rich hooked up
to a bass on his first cast with a Bass Assassin in Dorchester Bay. As
the sun poked up in the
horizon, the bass began a savage rampage on the herring. For the next
half hour, J.T., who was using an olive and white Half 'N Half, and Rich
were tight to bass. Although several large bass were
mixed in, the schoolies beat them to the lures. When the wind cranked
up to over 20 knots, the crew called it a day.
Weather, especially the unseasonably gusty winds forced the Draggin'
Fly to cancel midweek charters. This gave Captain Bill and the crew
at G&S Marine time to do some midseason tune-ups and maintenance.
Draggin' Fly Charters is sold out until September when there are
some weekend and midweek
afternoon openings. With the arrival of peanut bunker, this can be some
of the best fishing of the season.
Thursday, Chuck Tilden of Dorchester invited Chris Martin and Paul Hines
of West Yarmouth to share a light tackle trip. Imagine the surprise of
the two Cape Codders when just after sunrise, the crew found a large school
of bass working herring just off City Point. Bass Assassin fished very
slowly got their
attention. The surface action lasted for over an hour. The fish ranged
in size from small schoolies to three footers. Chuck had the hot rod when
the Draggin' Fly moved inside of Thompson's Island, catching a
number of schoolies before deciding to try the shallow water in Quincy
Bay. Again, luck shined on Chuck
as he continued as top rod. The crew kept one bass to barbecue.
Joe Ramaci of Braintree invited his cousin, Matt Kiley of Brockton to
share his trip on Friday. This was Joe's second try of the season and
another good one. Again, Captain Bill pushed off in the dark to get the
sunrise bite in Dorchester Bay. Casting Bass Assassins, both Joe and Matt
hooked into bass on the first drift. It was Matt's first striper ever,
and it was almost 30 inches. As the sun came up, the fish also came up.
Although not as numerous as the previous day, there was plenty of action
for Joe and Matt. After the morning bite, more fish were found on the
Deer Island Flats and in Quincy Bay. The biggest fish measured 33 inches.
July 19, 2003
Sunday's dawn minus tide forced a later start than the norm. On board
was Russ Bowden of Pembroke who invited friends Max and Bob from Pennsylvania.
The morning bite was missed but Bob managed a bass on the first drift
at Hangman's Island. The crew tried several spots before finding a small
pod of bass and blues on the Deer Island Flats. A few more bass were taken
on soft body shads along Black Rock Channels. The Draggin' Fly
moved into shallow water to hunt bass. The wind picked up making it difficult
to sight cast but Bob and Russ caught a few bass and blues on soft jerk
baits. Max found difficult fishing on
the fly rod but when he switched to a Boston Harbor Bunny Maribou he soon
was on to bass.
Monday, Dan Shea of New Hampshire, a regular aboard the Draggin' Fly
entertained noted outdoor writer and avid striper fisherman, Jack
Fallon. A pod of small bluefish was encountered in Quincy Bay and the
crew managed a few bass before the school broke up. Bass and blues were
located in very skinny water but proved to be difficult to hook. Jack
fished light tackle and Dan used a fly rod. Today, the fish showed a strong
preference for Jack's soft jerk baits. The crew jumped only a few large
fish. Most were small schoolies and small bluefish.
Tuesday, fly rodders Damon Reed of Norwell and John Kieley of New Hampshire
decided to fish shallow water and sight cast to fish. This required a
later start in order to allow for incoming tide to flood the flats. John
used a small clouser to catch bass up to legal size. Damon tried a number
of his own
flies until he found a purple and white mush fly that got the attention
of the bass. When the wind increased causing a chop on the water, the
crew was forced to retreat, since sight casting was no longer possible.
On Thursday, Gerry Feeley of Waltham fished with Captain Bill. There was
a short early morning bite in Dorchester Bay that lasted less than an
hour. Bass were taken on soft jerk baits when they were feeding on the
surface. Vivif jigs and olive/white Half 'N Halfs got their attention
when they held deep. The flies outfished the spinniung tackle on this
trip. After the dawn action, Captain Bill searched the airport flats and
Lower Middle without any success. Moving inside Quincy Bay on the incoming
tide, the bass were found in deeper water than the past few days. But
Gerry caught a few more before the day was over.
Paul Snell of Danvers, an avid fly fisherman who had experienced the "Hahbah's
legendary" top water action, booked this tide several months ago
so that his two nephews, Jonathan and Patrick, could cut their striper
teeth. The fish did surface at first light in Dorchester Bay but they
drove bait so fast it was impossible to stay on them. Jonathan, who had
been practicing his casting, was the first to connect. He caught a bass
on a Vivif jig and another on the teaser fly. Patrick worked hard but
luck did not shine on him. Several times bass rushed his jerk bait but
missed the hook. Patrick caught the only bluefish
of the trip that doubled over his spinning rod.
Saturday, Paul Lindsay of Newton, a Draggin' Fly regular, was joined
by teenage sons, Ben and Daniel.
Captain Bill pushed off in the dark, the best bet for getting in on the
surface action. A school of bass was
found crashing bait in Dorchester Bay. Ben was the first to hook up on
soft jerk bait. Daniel, using a Vivif
jig fished with a teaser fly, hooked two large bass at once. Paul also
hooked up several bass using a maribou clouser on his fly rod. Moving
off shore, the crew managed a few more bass and some blues. Paul hooked
up what appeared to be a hefty fish that didn't react like a bass or blue.
It pulled steady but made no serious runs. When the mystery fish came
to the surface all were surprised to discover that a shark had eaten a
chartreuse flat wing fly. A fitting endiong to a great day of fishing.
July 12, 2003
The Draggin' Fly was back on the water on Sunday, July 6th after
taking July 4th off. On board was repeat client, Paul Morey of Weymouth.
Joining Paul for this light tackle trip were two of his friends, Chris
and Steve of North Weymouth. It didn't take long for these experienced
anglers to hook up. There was a good dawn bite off of the Castle Island
ledges. Action was all on the surface with jerk baits producing best.
Captain Bill moved into the Neponset River to see if there were any bass
working the drop back (post spawned) herring. The crew caught only school
bass, so the decision was made to try Winthrop for bigger bass. Steve
hooked a big bass that put on a good show on light tackle but the fish
pulled the hook at boat side.
The Draggin' Fly finished the trip in Quincy Bay's shallows where
Paul, Chris, and Steve caught several bluefish and bass up to 30 inches
.
Monday, Tony DeStephano and Rich Trudella of New Hampshire drove down
in the dark to meet Captain Bill for a dawn push off from the dock. The
early start proved to be a good decision, as both anglers were into school
bass within minutes of the dock off of Southie's Sugarbowl. Tony used
a Maribou Bunny fly and Rich used a lavender/white Half 'N Half. Unfortunately,
the bait was driven through the outflow into Pleasant Bay. The crew could
only watch as the bass attacked the bait just out of reach. This was only
the second time that Captain Bill has witnessed this situation.
Tony and Rich cast to bass from school size to some real cows in very
shallow water. But these fish proved hard to hook. Although a few bass
were hooked, none were landed. Small bluefish comprised the catch there.
Tuesday, repeat client Phil Strazula of Norwell put together a crew for
a light tackle trip. Joining Phil were co-workers, Paul and Frank. Also
on board was Phil's teenage son Philip.Some bass had herring trappped
in the rocks along the eastern end of Grape Island. Phil hooked a nice
fish on a soft jerk bait that managed to throw the hook.
The airport flats that had been holding bass for the past several days
were barren, so Captain Bill moved back inside the shallows of Quincy
Bay to hunt bass. The crew jumped numerous stripers but most refused all
offerings, often following the lure right to the boat. Young Philip proved
to be a real pro with a spinning rod and took home honors of top rod.
The fishing finally broke on Friday. Dr. Bob Vanderlin brought his brother
Keith of Pa. for a Harbor fishing experience. Also joining them were Bob's
two teenage sons, Todd and Davis. The forecast of rain and fog and the
slow fishing of the past several days weren't too encouraging. However,
the crew had big smiles as they encountered a good school of bass working
herring just minutes from the dock. Soft jerk baits cast on light spinning
rods got the interest of several fish. Keith caught his first legal size
bass, a fat 35 inch linesider.
Later in the tide, Captain Bill found some nice bass in the shallow water
of Quincy Bay. And the good news- these fish actually ate! At one point,
Todd, Davis, and Keith were fighting big bass at the same time. The approaching
thunderstorm forced the crew to call it a day.
On Saturday, Ernie Milani, a regular aboard the Draggin' Fly was
unable to keep his charter, so he sent along son, Ernie and grandson,
Tom. Ernie Sr. didn't miss much, except for some very thick fog. Tom connected
with a bass on the first drift that fell just short of legal size. He
used a white Bass Assassin. The school of fish broke up just before any
more could be stalked.
Captain Bill and the rest of the charter fleet fished a number of their
structure spots with very limited success. The Milani crew managed only
one more bass and a bluefish before admitting defeat.
July 5, 2003
Sunday, June 29, Duane Preble of Kennybunkport, Me. was aboard the Draggin'
Fly for his annual trip. Duane, an avid hunter and fisher, prefers
to use light tackle. Since his partner had to cancel at the last moment,
he invited Captain Bill's wife, Mary to join them. The crew pushed off
before sunrise, hoping to catch the dawn bite. Captain Bill set up to
work the rocky shoreline at the west end of Peddocks Island. Duane was
the first to score, landing a fat 35 inch fish. On the next drift, Mary
caught a 30 inch bass. After the turn of the tide, Duane and Mary caught
a number of small bluefish and three more legal size bass. The lures of
choice were Bass Assassin Shads.
Tuesday, Damon Reed of Norwell and John Kieley of New Hampshire invited
senior field editor of The Fisherman, Ed Novak to join them on their weekly
trip. A few bass were found swirling on the surface off the narrows at
Lovells Island. Ed managed to catch a 26 inch bass on a Bass Assassin
Shad before the tide was lost. At slack water, Captain Bill ran back inside
of Quincy Bay to find the bass fiinning on the surface with some bluefish
mixed in. The fish were not interested in any fly that was offered. So
it was decided to hunt for some bluefish. Just east of Egg Rock, off of
Nahant, a small school of good size bass was located. However, these fish
proved as frustrating as those inside. Moving back inside, a mixture of
bass and blues were found in the shallows. For the rest of the trip Damon,
John, and Ed sight casted. Soft jerk baits outfished flies on this trip.
The crew managed a few bass and bluefish before calling it a day.
Wednesday, Dave Detz of Sharon brought along his friend, Frank. Dave,
an accomplished fly rodder used the long rod while Frank, who enjoys sight
casting, used light spinning gear. Just after dawn, Captain Bill found
a good school of bass that had bait trapped in ultra shallow water just
inside of the black Rock Channel. Frank was the first to connect on a
fat 31 inch bass on a Bass Assassin. Dave wasn't going to be left out
as he hooked a legal size bass on a Half 'N Half. Before the fish moved
out, Dave and Frank landed fish up to 36 inches. The largest weighed 21
pounds on the Borger scale. On the incoming tide, the crew worked the
shallows of Quincy Bay. Several bass were located but most refused Dave's
flies and Frank's lures. A few small blues were landed
June 28, 2003
The Draggin' Fly got back on the water on Tuesday, June 24. On
board were two expert fly rodders, Paul Ryan of Marshfield and Peter Frederickson
of Weymouth. Also fishing was Paul's friend Michael who used spinning
gear. Peter was the first to score on a leadhead fly in among the rocks
at Sunset Point. Michael used a Bass Assassin to catch a school bass.
A few more bass were caught including a small keeper before Captain Bill
moved into the shallow waters of Quincy. The anglers jumped a number of
bass which refused all offerings. These fish would follow but would not
hit. The crew managed to catch a few bluefish before calling it a day.
On Wednesday, Damon Reed of Norwell and John Kieley of New Hampshire invited
outdoor writer Katie McKay to join them for their weekly trip. Katie is
working on an article on Boston Harbor for Gray's Journal. The crew decided
to hunt for bass in the shallows. And they found many tailing and finning
fish. Damon tried every fly in his arsenal but to not avail. John had
a little more success with a yellow bunny fly, including a fat 32 inch
striper. Katie used Mr. Twister Exude and Bass Assassin shads. An experienced
muski fisher from Wisconsin, it took Katie a little time to learn the
technique of working soft jerk baits. But once she caught on she outfished
both Damon and John, catching and releasing some small bluefish. She has
plenty of pictures and information for her article.
On Thursday, Peter Gallagher of Norwell was aboard along with trip friends,
Joe and Ron for a light tackle trip. A small school of bass was found
in Quincy and the crew managed a few fish on Vivit jigs before the boat
traffic broke the fish up. A call from a fellow captain about some big
bass trapping bait along the shore of Lovel's Island got everyone's heart
pumping. Peter was the first to hook up on a soft jerk bait with a 30
inch bass. The bass were difficult to hook, often following the lure before
turning away at the last minute. Each angler caught legal size bass up
to 34 inches before the fish moved out.
On Friday, Joe Ramaci of Braintree met Captain Bill at dawn for his first
trip with the Draggin' Fly. Joe caught and released a 30 inch bass
on a Mr. Twister within minutes of the dock. Several other fish were tagged
before the boat traffic broke up the school of bass. Then Captain Bill
moved in the shallow water to hunt fish. Joe caught several more bass
and a few bluefish on jerk baits before the fish got "lockjaw".
No matter what was thrown, the fish ignored all offerings except for a
small fly. Joe is addicted to "Hahbah" fishing and signed up
for two more trips.
On Saturday, Draggin' Fly regular, Paul Ponichtera of Hingham,
put together a crew for a light tackle trip. Paul, an accomplished fly
rodder, used a spinning rod so that his guests had more room to fish.
The wind was howling at dawn as the cold front moved over the area. It
was difficult fishing for most of the morning. A few school bass and some
bluefish were caught in Quincy Bay. The big fish that the Draggin'
Fly worked over the past several days were pushed out of the shallows
by the wind change. As the wind subsided, anglers found a few more cooperative
fish.
June 21, 2003
On Sunday, June 15 Phil Strazula of Norwell brought along his eleven
year old son Michael for a light tackle trip. A few fish were found on
the ledges off of Castle Island but they were more interested in chasing
herring than the Mr. Twister soft jerk baits. On the slack tide the fish
came up for a short time in Southie. However, these fish also proved difficult
to catch. Phil managed to catch the first bass of the trip before the
crew moved on. Michael caught a nice bass on a Vivit jig at the Deer Island
rip. On the incoming tide, both Strazulas did much better at Thompson's
Western Way. Although the fishing was on the slow side, the trip proved
to be a great way for the Strazulas to spend Father's Day.
On June 18th John Rogers from Scituate brought along friends, Lou from
Scituate and James from Quincy. John, an avid fly fisher whether it's
Atlantic salmon or striped bass, prefers to fish his seven weight fly
rod. Lou and James used soft jerk baits on 10 and 12 pound rods. Captain
Bill found fish in Hingham, but they proved difficult to catch. As the
Draggin' Fly moved into Quincy Bay, the fish were more cooperative.
John was the first to hook up on a clouser that he tied quite sparsely.
For the next hour, the crew kept Capt. Bill busy unhooking bass in the
20-24 inch class. A decision was made to move on in search of bigger fish.
And they jumped bass in Dorcester Bay, Sculpin Ledge, and on the Deer
Island Flats.
On Saturday, June 21 Dave Deits of Sharon brought along his teenage daughter
Rachel. Dave, an expert fly fisher comes aboard the Draggin' Fly several
times a season, usually with one of his sons. This was Rachel's first
trip, and she more than held her own. Not only did she catch the largest
fish but she also caught the most fish on soft jerk baits. Action began
at sunrise, just minutes from dock in Hingham Bay. Dave fished a small
Half 'N Half on intermediate line. Rachel caught her first fish on Mr.
Twister Exudes. The first bluefish of the season also attacked Rachel's
jerk bait in Quincy Bay. Both Dave and Rachel released several legal size
bass. Most of these were caught in very shallow water.
June 6, 2003
On Saturday, Brian Shurer of Norfolk, a regular aboard the Draggin'
Fly, brought along his friend, Chris from Hanover. Both were in for
a full day of light tackle fishing. Action began at dawn with breaking
fish just off the drilling platform at George's Island. Soft jerk baits
worked wonders. After the tide turned, Captain Bill found another large
school of fish off Hnagman's Island. Most were 20-24 inch fish, but Brian
released a fat 30 inch linesider.
The crowds pushed the fish down so the crew made the decision to run offshore
and work around the pods of mackerel. Captain Bill rerigged with some
proto-type jigs that tackle rep Dan Shea recently sent with instructions
to get pictures for a catalog. These swimming jigs are a modernized version
of the Vivit Jig produced by Cecil Hoge back in the 50's. They will be
marketed by Panther Martin. And boy, do they work! Chris landed the top
fish of the day, a 43 inch trophy bass that tipped the scale a few ounces
under 30 pounds. A great catch on 12 lb. tackle.
Sunday's fog hampered the early start and any chances of an off-shore
run. Dave Gale, an avid fly fisher of Sharon brought along his 13 year
old son, Ev. The first few hours were unproductive. Finally, stripers
were found working bait in Wollaston. The fish were small but after such
a slow morning, these fish brought smiles.
It took alot of convincing but Captain Bill got the anglers to leave the
fish that they worked so hard to find. The Draggin' Fly moved to
Dorchester to catch the end of the tide. There, Dave's specially tied
mini-clouser hammered biggr bass. Ev caught his first legal fish that
measured 30 inches on a fly.
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