| Captain' Report
Season Wrap Up
The 2005 Season in Review The 2005 fishing season was certainly an
interesting one. It began slowly mostly due to the weather. Mackerel were not
as numerous as past seasons, but herring more than made up for this. While most
herring runs in the state were experiencing major problem, Boston Harbor's rivers
and estuaries loaded up with herring. For this reason, the Harbor had great fishing
throughout the early season.
Traditionally, fishing in July can be very
strong. This year, fishing was slower in terms of numbers of fish, but our anglers
caught several very large bass and bluefish during the month. Some days massive
schools of blues were encountered just outside the Harbor and the next day they
were gone. For the most part, our anglers were on the water before most others
and stalked bass in the shallows. The success of The Draggin' Fly during
this time was very noticeable among the fleet.
The arrival of August
brought major changes. Bass that were elusive just days earlier became very aggressive,
as bait became more plentiful. First, it was juvenile herring that got the attention
of these big bass, and then the peanut bunker invaded the surrounding waters in
massive numbers.
During much of August, The Draggin' Fly fished
up North from Lynne to Marblehead. Large schools of bass and blues trapped bait
along the rocky shorelines. At times, the fish could be quite fussy requiring
careful stalking and patience. Then suddenly, they seemed to attack almost anything
within their eyesight. Many trophy fish were caught during the month and most
were released.
By early September, the bait and fish moved into the Harbor.
Some days, schools of bluefish and bass could be found from the Fore River right
into downtown Boston and in every estuary in between. From mid-September until
the season's abrupt ending, the fish seemed to feed endlessly.
The 2005
fishing season ended just as it began with plenty of fish available but the weather
keeping anglers under siege. It rained and blew hard throughout the month of May.
The same was true during October's migration. So by mid-October, Captain Bill
decided it was time to put up The Draggin' Fly and get her ready for the
winter.
Captain Bill will be very busy during the off-season. The
Draggin' Fly will be repowered with a new Mercury engine as well as being
fitted for a new trailer. Captain Bill has committed to writing several articles
to be published during the coming year. He is putting the finishing touches on
new slide show, the Many Faces of Boston Harbor that will feature many of this
year's memorable moments.
Captain Bill will be exhibiting at the Eastern
Fishing Exposition in Worchester in February. Plan at stopping by and saying hello.
Meanwhile, you always catch up to Captain Bill at Sunday River, his winter headquarters.
Captain Bill and The Draggin' Fly Charters thank all those who
fished with us during the 2005 season. And remember it is never too early to book
your adventures for the coming year. October 10,2005
Sunday,
October 2nd, Steve Lyon of North Weymouth was aboard for a twiced canceled light
tackle trip. Joining Steve was his son, Jim of Rockland. Pushing off of dock just
before dawn, Captain Bill headed The Draggin' Fly right to Sculpin Ledge.
The fish were already crashing the surface and tearing into bait when the crew
arrived. Steve and Jim cast soft jerk baits to hungry bass, and for the next hour,
both anglers were tight to bass after bass.The fish moved out with the residing
tide. Captain Bill positioned The Draggin' Fly in front of the retreating
fish and ahead of the fleet. After these fish broke up, the crew moved back inside
of the Anchorage and to the Deer Island flats where Steve caught the largest bass
of the day. His trophy measured over 43 inches and weighed in at over 30 pounds.
After a quick picture, Steve released this bass to fight another day. Steve and
Jim finished the trip casting to bass and blues at the Sugar Bowl.
On
Tuesday, October4th, Dave Deitz of Sharon invited his son Andrew of Boston
to enjoy an afternoon of flyfishing. The wind was blowing hard out of the North,
but Dave and Andrew didn't seem to mind as they were greeted by large schools
of bass throughout the Inner Triangle. The fly of choice was a white Guggler.
As the afternoon crowd began to break up these schools of fish, Captain Bill moved
The Draggin' Fly into the shallow water along Thompson's Island where bass
had the bait pinned in very shallow water. For the next couple of hours, Dave
and Andrew caught bass after bass throughout Dorcester Bay and most came in very
shallow water. Most of the bass were in the 20-24 inch range but several much
larger bass were jumped. However, the schoolies managed to beat their larger sisters
to the fly every time. The crew made a hasty retreat in order to get Andrew back
to dock in time to get to work. Trips over the Columbus Weekend were all
canceled due to heavy rain and strong wind.
October 1, 2005
Wednesday, Sept. 28th, seasonal clients, Damon Reed of Vermont and John Kieley
of New Hampshire were aboard for a late afternoon fly fishing trip. The wind was
stronger than forecasted, but these veteran fly fishers were able to cast into
it. John was the first to score on one of Captain Bill's Evil flies. Damon was
casting poppers, but the bass ignored his fly. Meanwhile, John caught and released
a 32-inch bass. Then the Evil fly was inhaled by a big blue. John was able to
bring it within arms reach of Captain Bill but the fish bit through the leader
just as it was about to be grabbed. On a suggestion, Damon switched to a white
Gurgler. The bass liked that much better than the popper. John tied on a small
Half 'N Half, and he was back in action. As the tide began to pull stronger, bigger
bass began to work the shallow water, tight to the shoreline of Long Island. Damon
and John caught more bass than they had on any other trip this season. Most of
the fish were over 30 inches, including several over three feet and two over 40
inches. Damon and John have already signed on for their trips every fortnight
next year.
Captain Bill pushed off of dock well before dawn on Saturday
to pick up Jay Molloy and his eight year old son, Connor. It was a cold ride
across the harbor but it was worth the trip. The first stop in Lower Middle produced
some fast action on Bass Assassins. Connor might only be eight, but he did his
own casting and more than held his own. Within an hour, more and more boats began
to arrive and break up the fish. Captain Bill tried to keep The Draggin' Fly
away from the crowds, but this became impossible. The crew left these fish and
headed to the shallows near Spectacle Island where they were back in fish again.
Most were school size bass but Connor landed two good size blues. After the tide
changed, Jay and Connor cast to bass in very shallow water in Dorchester. This
was a trip that Jay and Connor will long remember.
September 18,
2005
Sunday, September 11, Joe Smith of Kittery, Maine, brought along
his girlfriend, Lisa Riendeau for a repeat visit to the "Hahbah". Lisa
caught the largest bass on the last trip, so she was giving Joe a chance to even
the score. On the previous day, the schools of bluefish in Hingham were not as
numerous and angling pressure was even greater. Joe and Lisa cast poppers to catch
bluefish up to six pounds. Switching to Vivif jigs, Joe picked up a few small
bass off the bottom. Moving into the inner harbor, Joe caught another bluefish
off of Spectacle Island. There were some bass mixed in with the blues, but they
proved to be difficult to catch. Joe was top rod on this trip. But Lisa reminded
him of her big bass that she caught on the first trip and that seemed to quiet
Joe.
Monday, Damon Reed of Vermont and John Kieley of New Hampshire
were aboard for an afternoon trip. These anglers have a seasonal contract that
brings them aboard The Draggin' Fly every other week. It was unusual for
the Draggin' Fly to leave dock in daylight. Damon usually leaves his house a little
after midnight to meet Captain Bill and John before dawn. Today, they wanted Captain
Roger Brousseau of Midnight Charters to join them. The wind was blowing very hard,
but Damon and John still wanted to give it a try. Despite the gusty wind, these
skilled anglers adjusted their casts to cut through the wind. It was a bluefish
day, all taken on the fly rod with small poppers. Damon likes to throw his tube
popper, but today he listened to Captain Bill! The smaller popper was easier to
cast and got plenty of attention. Captain Roger was impressed with how well Damon
and John could manage to catch fish in winds that gusted over 25 mph.
Thursday's afternoon trip with fly rodder and Fisherman reader, Dave Deitz
was cancelled due to heavy rain. The weekend trips were also scrubbed because
of predicted rain and wind of Ophelia.
Trips have been rescheduled to early
October.
September 10, 2005
Monday, Bob Hennessy and Jim
Lincoln of Hanover celebrated Labor Day fishing with Captain Bill. Quincy Bay
was alive with bluefish from the get-go. On the first drift, Bob and Jim caught
eight-pound bluefish on poppers. This was the game for several hours. Jim did
hook up on a bass in the 30-pound range but the hook pulled at the boat. On one
cast, Jim's line got tangled on the wing of a herring gull, which took to the
art of dragging the popper along the surface. A bluefish chased the lure until
it finally hooked itself. Luckily, the fish was able to pull the line from the
bird's wing. Jim landed and released this fish. The crew decided to leave the
blues to look for bass. On Governor's Flats, the crew managed to land a few school
bass on Vivif jigs. Looking for bigger bass, Captain Bill moved The Draggin'
Fly into the finger channels. Several big bass were located, but refused to
eat. Suddenly, Jim hit a big bass that quickly dumped the reel and began charging
straight to a nearby boat that was trolling. This fish actually swam under the
other boat and miraculously avoided the prop. After another surge, Jim subdued
the fish that measured in at over 41 inches and weighed in at over 30 pounds.
Saturday, Kevin McLaughlin of Medfield and brother, Brian of Nashua,
NH met Captain Bill well before dawn. The anglers were greeted by a strong northwest
wind. Leaving the Back River, the first schools of bluefish were found in Hingham
Bay. For the first hour, the crew had these fish to themselves. Kevin and Brian
took turns catching and releasing bluefish after bluefish in the six pound range.
There was even a repeat of the winged bird and bluefish story of the previous
day. Once the sun came up, more and more boats arrived. It became more difficult
to stay on the fish with the wind blowing the bait around the bay and the boats
running through the fish. The crew decided to leave these fish and look for bass.
Brian hooked a good fish on a Bass Assassin in Wollaston but the line parted before
it could be landed. He didn't miss the next one, a small schoolie. A call from
a friend had The Draggin' Fly heading for Governor's Flats. These fish
were not very cooperative. Kevin did catch a bass about 24 inches. Then he hooked
a hot fish that streamed line off the reel. At one time during the battle, Kevin
thought he had lost the fish but Captain Bill knew that this bass was running
back at Kevin. Once the line was regained, Kevin brought the fish to the boat
where Captain Bill grabbed it with the Boga grip. After a few pictures, Kevin
released his 40-inch bass that weighed almost 30 pounds, giving him bragging rights
until next year. A few more pods of fish where found on the way back to dock.
Despite the wind, the McLaughlin brothers had another exciting adventure in Boston
Harbor. Kevin also earned the "Smitty Award" for the best sandwiches
of the year!
September 2, 2005
Season regular, Bill Lane
made it a family affair on Sunday, bringing along his wife, Jane. They
fished their way to Boston where daughter Courtney and her boyfriend, Mike Alexander
joined the crew. Bill caught a 30-inch bass just after dawn in the shallow waters
off of Paddock. A small pod of fish was also found on Sunken Ledge but these fish
didn't stay up long enough to really work them. After picking up Courtney and
Mike, Captain Bill headed north but turned back when it became obvious that the
seas would be too uncomfortable to work the rocks. In the Anchorage, the fish
began to pop for a few seconds on the surface, but the strong wind kept pushing
the bait. A bluefish managed to bite through the line. Then Dr. Bill got an emergency
call that forced him to return to shore. After dropping Bill off in Boston, Captain
Bill moved into Quincy Bay but found little bait and no fish. At the next stop
at Paddocks, Mike hooked a big bass that crashed on the surface, tearing line
from the reel. Mike was able to stop this fish before he got into some lobster
pots, but then the hook pulled. Courtney was the next to hook up, and she played
her fish like a seasoned veteran. When Captain Bill grabbed the fish, she was
surprised at the size. This 18 pound bass would be dinner for the Lanes.
Monday, season regulars, Gerry Feeley and Paul Ryan of Marshfield
brought along Jay Bourgeois of Beverly. Jay set the bar high when he caught a
32 inch bass on a Vivif jig at dawn. Paul got a smaller bass on a white Clouser.
Heading through Quincy Bay, the crew encountered a large school of bass working
peanut bunker. These fish were big and hungry. Paul used his own fly that was
certainly not as pretty as Captain Bill's, but equally effective. Jay and Gerry
worked soft jerk baits. Numbers of bass up to three feet were caught and released.
Often, two anglers were hooked up at the same time. As the tide slackened, the
catch switched to bluefish. Paul used a gurgler and Jay and Gerry used poppers.
A decision was made to move north. Off Ram's Head, the bass had the bait trapped
in shallow water for an hour and a half. A number of bass over 30 inches were
caught and released. The crew finished the trip casting to big blues in the North
Channel. This was a trip that Gerry, Jay, and Paul would not forget!
After two weather days, The Draggin' Fly was back on the water on Thursday.
Bob Marle and his son, Travis came off the Cape where they were vacationing to
fish the "Hahbah". And they were rewarded with nonstop action from start
to finish. Just outside the Back River, a school of big bass was herding bait.
On his second cast, Bob hooked a 35 -inch bass on a soft jerk bait. For the next
hour, Bob and Travis took turns catching and releasing bass; most of which were
30 inches or more. Then bluefish invaded the waters. From Weymouth to Hull, schools
of 6-8 pound blues were clobbering peanut bunker. Switching to poppers, Bob and
Travis kept Captain Bill busy unhooking fish. Looking for a change of scenery,
The Draggin' Fly moved north and throughout the Inner Triangle only to
find more and more schools of bluefish. The fish even bit through slack water
and on the turn of the tide, bass moved in. Travis landed the biggest bass of
the trip, a 20 pounder on a Rappala. Several more bass were caught and released-
most in the 30 plus inch range. On the way back to dock, the crew jumped bass
and blues throughout Quincy Bay.
On Friday, Mike Paige of Hanover
booked The Draggin' Fly for his son's visit. Matt lives in Florida and
grew up on boats. This morning's action was bluefish, bluefish, and more bluefish.
At times, Captain Bill kept the boat in two and three feet of water so that Mike
and Matt could cast to blues that were pushing bait onto the shore of Paddocks
Island. For two hours, Matt and Mike took turns catching and releasing blues up
to 12 pounds. At times, both were hooked up at the same time. Moving to the Anchorage,
the crew encountered scattered pods of bass. Switching to soft jerk baits, Mike
and Matt caught fish up to 30 inches. Back in Quincy Bay, massive schools of bass
had bait trapped on the shore of Ramsford Island. With all the bait that was being
driven by these fish, it was difficult to get their attention, but Matt and Mike
managed to catch a few on Bass Assassins.
Captain Bill will take Saturday
and Sunday off to attend the wedding of his goddaughter but will be back on
Monday. There are limited openings for the fall season. Ys are sold out but good
fishing can be had on the weekends. Check our website www.fishboston.com for an
up-to-date listing and be sure to book your Harbor trip before it's too late.
August 27, 2005
Sunday, day two of Paul Ponichera's two-day
charter, included his son Eric of Scituate, Bruce Persons of Sheffield, and Andy
Reed of Hingham. On the first drift, Andy dropped a big fish when the line got
tangled in the trim tab. Just after dawn, a school of big bass was located in
the North Channel. Paul was the first to score. Two more fish managed to break
off before Andy boated a 36-inch bass on a Vivif jig. These fish were difficult
to stay on. Moving north The Draggin' Fly encountered massive schools of
bass from schoolies to monster fish. Tossing Bass Assassins, the crew kept Captain
Bill busy unbuttoning fish and rerigging rods. Before the rain forced a hasty
retreat, over thirty fish were caught and released. Off Winthrop Shores, schools
of blues were working peanut bunker. The crew kept several for Bruce's smoker.
Before the end of the trip, Eric boated a bass of nearly 30 pounds, taking top
honors for the day.
On Tuesday, Dan Fallon put together the crew
for his annual Boston "Hahbah" trip. Joining Dan were Guy Nicholas of
North Chelmsford and newcomer Tim Cox of Hudson, NH The first stop in Quincy Bay
produced one hook-up for Guy, but the fish managed to pull the hook. Heading north,
the anglers were greeted by a large school of bass that had peanut bunker pinned
up on the shoreline. On the first drift, Dan and Tim hooked fish on Bass Assassins.
The rush was on to land their fish in order to win the bet for the first fish.
Tim boated his first, a bluefish, and Dan 's was a bass. For the next two hours,
the crew took turns catching and releasing bass up to 32 inches. At this time,
Captain Bill had to remind the excited crew of rule #1: don't hook the captain
and rule #2: stay in the boat. Bluefish were working schools of bait off Nahant's
Egg Rock. Switching to poppers, Dan and Guy hooked up on medium size blues. Suddenly,
the water erupted with one of the biggest schools of bass that Captain Bill had
seen in many years. Tim was first to hook a bass and then both Dan and Guy hooked
up. Unfortunately, this school disappeared as quickly as it had appeared. The
crew ended the trip chasing bass and blues off Winthrop Shores. It was another
great day on The Draggin' Fly.
Throwing all caution to the wind,
Damon Reed of Vermont and John Kieley of New Hampshire invited Ed Novak to share
a charter on Wednesday. Those who regularly follow Captain Bill's weekly
reports know that Ed was aboard on Damon and John's previous trip that went into
the books as the slowest trip they ever had. Just as it had been for much of the
week, bass had peanut bunker trapped in the rocks of Nahant. However, this day
these fish proved to be very picky and expressed little interest in Damon and
John's flies. A large bass was hooked on soft jerk bait but after the first substantial
run, the hooked pulled. A smaller fish was caught and released. This is how most
of the morning was spent… stalk the fish, cast, and watch them laugh. Only
once did the crew hook up at the same time on bass. Damon got his bass on a Glass
Minnow, John's came on a White Bunny, and Ed took his bass on a popper. As the
tide dropped weed made it impossible to fish the shoreline, so Captain Bill decided
to target bluefish. And yes, bent rods were the name of the game. Damon used his
Tailer Popper, John a Clouser, and Ed a popper to land numbers of blues up to
7-8 pounds.
Thursday's trip with Matt West of Scituate and his
visiting in-laws from New Jersey were greeted with a strong northwest wind. Captain
Bill suggested postponing the trip but it was agreed that the crew would give
it a try. The wind blew out the bait and blew in weed. Friday's trip with a corporate
sponsor would be pushed back and Matt's crew would meet Captain Bill Friday at
dawn.
Friday's weather was better with little wind and clear skies.
Joining Matt was his 7 year-old nephew Thomas Esposito, brother-in-law Gary Wyrwa
and father-in-law Ed Wyrwa. A small school of bass was found in the Fore River,
and Thomas was the first to score on a Vivif jig. Thomas casts and handles a rod
as well as most adults, which impressed near-by boats. A little while later, Thomas
landed a bigger bass. A call from a friend told of a major bluefish blitz on the
North Shore. On the way, Matt found a pod of big bass off Faun Bar. Matt, a professional
photographer, has as good an eye on the water as he does behind the camera. Again,
Thomas hooked the first fish, a big bass that gave him a great battle before breaking
off. The bass were lost but Ed and Gary both managed to hook blues that made a
mess of their plastic baits. Off Nahant, the crew found several schools of blues.
The highlight of the trip came when Ed, Gary, and Matt were all fighting big bluefish
at the same time. And the only reason that Thomas was not in on this action was
that Captain Bill was unhooking a fish that Thomas had caught before the triple!
The crew finished the day hunting bass in the shallows. Matt got some great shots
while managing to catch his fair share of fish.
August 20,
2005
Dr. Bill Lane of Duxbury put together a full crew for Sunday's
trip on The Draggin' Fly. Joining Bill was his son, Will, his cousin Joe
Carroll visiting from Manchester, England, and friend, Bill Shanley of South Boston.
It was another early start so Will, a medical student and part-time bartender,
came directly from work. As the crew motored to Quincy Bay, the fog rolled in
very quickly, but Captain Bill found a good school of blues in the six-pound range.
For the next hour, bent rods and screaming drags were common. Once this school
broke up, The Draggin' Fly moved into the shallow waters where Doc. Bill
hooked the first bass of the trip. Joe was the next to connect with a bass and
Will raised a number of fish. All action was on soft jerk baits. Moving slowly
through the fog, The Draggin' Fly arrived on Governor's Flats at the tail
end of the bite. Bill Shanley (too many Bills) caught his first bass on the flats.
Joe caught a 35-inch fish. Will hooked a big bass that inhaled his jerk bait right
at the boat. The fish was well over 30 pounds. Will played this fish very well
through a number of long runs before the hooked pulled 12 feet from the boat.
Meanwhile, his dad landed a 28-inch bass and had a hook straightened out by a
very large bass that thrashed all over the surface. Another big day on The
Draggin' Fly and Doc Bill returns in two weeks.
J.T. Rosnock brought
along his ten-year-old son, Jack for Monday's trip. The wind was blowing
from the northeast and was already stiff when The Draggin' Fly pushed off.
In Quincy Bay, Jack had one chase on a Bass Assassin but JT's fly went without
attention. Moving to Deer Island flats the crew found no surface action so J.T.
fished a conehead bomber and Jack used a Vivif jig. In ten feet of water, J.T.
and Jack doubled on schoolies. For several drifts, J.T. hooked and released a
number of bass. Nearby boats trolling worms and tubes were fishless. As the rain
began to intensify, J.T. struck a hot fish that ran through much of his backing.
Every time J.T. worked the fish back to the boat, the bass would take another
run. Finally J.T. brought the fish close enough so that Captain Bill could grab
it with a Boga grip. This fish fought harder than its 20 pounds. J.T. did an excellent
job casting into a nasty wind and outfished all other charters.
Wednesday,
seasonal clients, John Kieley of New Hampshire and Damon Reed of Vermont invited
outdoor writer and radio personality, Ed Novack aboard. The first stop in Quincy
Bay cost Ed a buck as Captain Bill caught and released a bass on a soft jerk bait
on his second cast. The next stop failed to produce but Ed did his live broadcast
on WATD with Logan airport in the background. Pushing north to fish the shallow
waters of Winthrop and Revere also was a bust. A decision was made to try working
the South Shore where rumors had peanut bunker attracting bass. On the way, a
school of bass was found working bait off the North Channel. Two fish were hooked
but both came off immediately. Back in Quincy Bay, another bass fell for a jerk
bait. A number of other fish were jumped but the crew failed to get them to bite.
This day goes down as Damon and John's slowest trip on record.
The Tedeschi
clan from Norwell joined Captain Bill for a short sail on Thursday morning.
After dropping Will, Nick, and Bob at dock, The Draggin' Fly picked up
Mitch Duncan of Brockton and headed north to Revere where Captain Bill had reports
of large schools of peanut bunker being trapped by big bass and blues. By the
time the crew arrived, the bite had slowed from what it had been earlier, but
when the fish podded the bait the action was fast. Captain Bill rigged a small
Vivif jig and a teaser fly. Mitch cast a five-inch Bass Assassin rigged on a ½
oz. jig head. The biggest blue weighed in at 12 pounds and Captain Bill released
a 38-inch bass of over 20 pounds. At slack high water, The Draggin' Fly moved
further north and into deeper water. Trolling spreaders, Mitch landed some nice
blues and just when Captain Bill was going to pull the rigs in, there was a major
crash behind the boat. The starboard rod immediately bent right over and the line
streamed off the reel. Tightening the drag as much as possible, Mitch went to
work, but this was no ordinary fish. A nearby charter boat watched in amazement
but within a very short time the line parted leaving Captain Bill and Mitch to
wonder what they had hooked.
Frank Yadowchuck of Weymouth joined Captain
Bill for a light tackle trip on Friday. Frank operates a boat out of Hewett's
Cove and was interested in learning more about shallow water fishing. The minus
water forced a late start, and it seemed that Frank and Bill arrived at each spot
30 minutes too late. The Inner Triangle and Anchorage had a very early dawn bite.
At Fawn Bar, a few bass were jumped, and Frank landed one. The big bite on the
North Shore of the previous day failed to materialize. On the way in, a school
of peanut bunker was found off of Ram's Head. Frank hooked a bluefish that bit
through his soft jerk bait. Back in Quincy Bay, the bass were not interested in
anything that was offered. Despite the slow day, Frank enjoyed himself and promised
to return with Paul, his regular fishing buddy in late September.
Paul
Ponichtera of Hingham put together the crew for Saturday's trip, day one
of a two-day charter. Joining Paul was Bruce Parson of Sheffield and Bob Kizelewicz
and his teenage son, Rob of Holbrook. Due to the minus tide, it was an exceptionally
early start, even by The Draggin' Fly standards. The first stop produced
some predawn action. Bob was the first to hook up but the fish spit the bait.
Paul hooked a hot bass on a Vivif jig that was a little over 35 inches. Bruce
was next with a fish almost the twin of the first. At low water,The Draggin'
Fly headed north to fish the rocks of Nahant. Immediately after arriving,
it became apparent that this would be no regular morning. The bass had bait trapped
right in the rocks. Bruce hooked the first fish on a soft jerk bait. Then Rob
hit a very large fish that he was finally able to turn after a massive run. Trying
to keep the fish from wrapping on a lobster pot, Rob had to try to stop this bass.
Unfortunately, the line parted. The fog rolled in very thickly, allowing the crew
and a friend's boat to work these fish uninterrupted for over two hours. Most
of the fish were bass but the crew also landed some bluefish. The crew had plenty
of time to reminisce on the slow ride back to dock done under electronics and
careful visual watch.
August 13, 2005
Monday, Aug. 8, Paul Ryan of Marshfield and Gerry Feeley of Waltham met
Captain Bill for a pre-dawn push-off. The first stop failed to produce, but at
the next stop in Quincy Bay, several bass chased Bass Assassins twitched in very
shallow water. Frustrated, the crew moved inside into even more shallow water
only to have bluefish rip the plastic baits, but none were hooked. Moving to the
airport flats, Captain Bill met up with a friend who had worked the flats since
dawn, managing only one bass and a bluefish on his fly. Fishing the finger channels,
good pods of fish were located, but they refused to bite. Finally Gerry hooked
a bass that measured just shy of 29 inches. After several other short strikes,
the crew moved to the Inner Triangle with similar luck… all bad. Admitting
defeat, Gerry and Paul will be back in two weeks to again do battle with “Hahbah”
bass.
John Kieley of New Hampshire shares a seasonal contract with fellow
fly rodder, Damon Reed of Vermont. Damon had to travel out of state on business,
so John fished solo on Tuesday. The first drift produced one
small bass, but a stiff southwest wind made it difficult to position the boat
along the rocks so that John could cast his fly into the structure. Captain Bill
moved into the shallows of Quincy Bay. There, very large bass struck. John’s
snake fly but each managed to avoid the hook. Two bluefish also bit through the
leader. At the bottom of the tide, The Draggin’ Fly moved
to the Deer Island flats. On the first drift in six feet of water, John hooked
a decent bass on one of Captain Bill’s new types of white Evil flies. Then
the flats erupted with bass chasing small herring. Captain Bill grabbed the extra
fly rod and for the next hours john and the Griz hammered bass. Size ranged from
small schoolies to legal fish.
Wednesday, expert fly
rodder Dave Deitz of Sharon met Captain Bill in the dark. The first stop in Quincy
produced several chases before the first bass about 32 inches was caught and released.
Dave tried several patterns, finally settling on a large Gurgler that created
just enough surface movement to get the attention of these spooky fish. As the
sun came up, the fish disappeared, so Dave had the pattern dialed in but too late.
Friends got into a surface bite at the Deer Island flats. The fish were small
schoolies but very aggressive. However, the fish broke up before The Draggin’
Fly arrived. Dave and Captain Bill decided to try the Western Way where
bait had been stacked up for the past few days. The birds were working bait but
no fish could be located. Moving into the shallow waters of Quincy Bay, the crew
jumped some bluefish. The wind began to build, so Dave switched to Bass Assassins
and hooked several blues. One of his fish was pushing 12 pounds but bit through
the 30 pound fluorocarbon leader before it could be landed. The fish put on quite
an aerial show before gaining its freedom. At the turn of the tide, bass began
to attack the soft jerk baits. The fish were in the 24-26 inch range, but both
Dave and Captain Bill turned big bass.
Thursday, Adrian
Jackson of Everett invited Vinnie Frendenberg of Holliston and Leigh Bosture for
a light tackle trip. After a pre-dawn pick-up in Boston, Captain Bill headed right
to the Deer Island flats. It didn’t take long for Vinnie to connect with
a bass on a 1-oz. Vivif jig. Suddenly, the flats erupted in breaking bass of ALL
sizes! Adrian released the first legal size bass of the trip that he caught on
a Bass Assassin. For the next hour, the entire crew kept Captain Bill busy releasing
bass, all caught on the surface. A call from a fellow charter captain had The
Draggin’ Fly heading north to Nahant where bass had bait pinned
up in three feet of water. It was an amazing sight. The fish were smaller than
the earlier bass, but it was exciting to watch the attack the lures. At low water,
the Draggin’ Fly moved back to fish the finger channels along the flats.
Leigh was the first to connect with a 32-inch bass along the flats. Adrian was
next, but a little slack line was all that this big fish needed to gain his freedom.
Vinnie got top honors of the day with his 40-inch bass. After dropping the crew
back at dock, Captain Bill ran into another school of bass in Western Way. What
a morning!
Friday, Peter Gallagher of Norwell invited
Joe Grabmeier of Hopkington and Paul Weiner of Wellesley for a light tackle charter.
This was Peter’s second trip of the season and if it measure up to the previous
trip all would be happy. Pushing off in the dark, The Draggin’ Fly
headed to the shallows of Quincy Bay. A number of bass were cruising the shallow
water but expressed no interest in the soft jerk baits that the crew was casting.
Captain Bill decided to head to Deer Island flats. Within minutes of arriving
on the flats a good school of bass was found working bait in five feet of water.
Peter was the first to hook up on a 30-inch bass. For almost two hours, Peter,
Paul, and Joe kept Captain Bill busy unhooking bass, several of which were legal
size. Joe also landed a six-pound bluefish. After this bite, the crew traveled
north to Nahant and found a school of bass that had bait trapped in 2 ½
feet of water. This action didn’t last nearly as long as the earlier bite.
Joe managed to boat the biggest bass of the trip, a 37-inch fish, before the end
of the day. Another exciting morning in the Harbor.
August
6, 2005
It's hard to believe that it's already August. July was a rather
difficult time. Not that there weren't fish. Just ask Bob and Jim Nelson, Bob
Breen, Damon Reed, Stan Zakharenko, and Roni Mann who caught trophy size bass
in July. The problem was that there was very little bait and it was very difficult
to get the fish to eat. Captain Bill is looking forward to fishing with old friends
and new clients in August. He is also dreaming about peanut bunker!
Sunday,
Bill Lane of Duxbury brought along Steve Kerr for a light tackle trip. Captain
Bill had called the previous night to tell the anglers about that day's slow fishing
and discuss options. Within minutes off of dock, Bill and Steve were into breaking
bass. Both anglers looked at Captain Bill, wondering why he had even suggested
canceling the trip. As the sun came up, the fish were less active, but switching
to Vivif jigs, Bill and Steve continued to catch fish. The trip north did not
produce. Today friends casting flies caught the fish in Nahant! What a difference
a day makes.
On Monday, fly rodder Steve Keller of Dover woke
his seven year old son, Cole, and his dad, Rev. Ron Keller of Danvers very early
to meet Captain Bill at dawn. This morning the fish were not on the surface, but
casting in four feet of water along the rocks produced. Ron brought up a number
of fish on his soft jerk bait and landed a fish just shy of 34 inches at the same
time that Steve hooked a big fish on the fly. Steve's leader parted, and so did
the fish. Cole was next to hook up on a Vivif jig. After a quick photo, the fish
was released to fight another day. The fish did come up in Quincy Bay, but they
were moving quickly. Steve caught his fish on a conehead bomber pattern. Ron continued
to cast jerk baits and pulled a few more bass. Captain Bill helped Cole with the
casting, and he landed two more bass in very shallow water. Rain forced an early
retreat back to dock.
Tuesday, Kevin Diggins of Berlin, Ma. set
up a light tackle trip to introduce his six-year-old son to saltwater fishing
and to prove to his father that stripers really exist. Captain Bill knew that
he had his hands full when Kevin introduced him to his son, Kevin, and his father,
Kevin…three Kevins! But it all worked out. When Captain Bill called "Kevin"
all three anglers jumped. Young Kevin was the first to hook up on a bass that
ate a Bass Assassin that was retrieved on the surface. Kevin senior was not to
be left out, hooking a 30-inch fish, also on a soft jerk bait. As Kevin worked
with his son, Pappa landed a number of legal size bass. Once the surface bite
ended, the crew switched to Vivif jigs and doubled up on bass in the 24-26 inch
range. Moving into the Inner Triangle, a small school of blues was found off Thompson
Island. The crew managed to hook a few fish but didn't land any. The blues ate
through the plastic lures and leaders. All Kevins had a wonderful morning fishing
aboard The Draggin' Fly.
Wednesday, Jay Hoffman of Marshfield
invited Rod Clarke of Hingham and John Spinalli of Duxbury. Unlike the previous
three days, there was no surface activity at dawn, so Captain Bill moved into
the shallow waters of Quincy Bay. On his first cast, Rod had a fish follow his
soft jerk bait but it did not attack. A few minutes later, Rod hooked a big fish
that hit right at the boat. This fight was short lived as the line soon parted.
Meanwhile, Jim, an experienced freshwater fly fisher, but new to saltwater fly-casting,
had his hands full with a bass that inhaled his fly. After a quick photo, this
near legal size bass was released. As the water began to come in, Captain Bill
was able to position the boat close to the rocks where Rod hooked another big
bass in four feet of water. This fish fought all over the surface and when brought
to the boat it measured in at 37 inches. Jay hooked a nice bass on a Vivif jig
in a deep hole at Governor's flats. The crew spent the rest of the trip chasing
bluefish in Quincy Bay.
Paul Callinan of Holbrook brought along his
ten-year-old nephew, John Crowley and Mark McCarron of Holbrook for a light tackle
trip on Thursday. Pushing off dock at low water, Captain Bill headed to
some nearby rock piles. At the first stop, the bass swirled on the soft jerk baits
but refused to eat. At the next stop, the bass could be seen in inches of water.
John was the first to hook up on a 24-inch bass. These fish were not easy to hook,
but the crew hooked a few more. Moving to the airport, the sonar indicated a number
of good size fish but these fish refused to eat, even when the crew put out the
trolling gear. Pail finally hooked a hot fish. As John cheered his uncle on, Paul
landed the first legal size fish of the trip. A small school of blues was found
pushing bait on the flats. John was the first to land a blue. A number were hooked
but they bit through the mono leaders or the plastic baits before they could be
landed.
Dan Cripps, of Lakeville, brought along his wife Cathy, Ray Fox
of Album, and Ron of New Hampshire for Friday's light tackle trip. The
wind was blowing strong out of the southwest, making it very difficult to work
the rock piles that held fish in recent days. Ray did hook a big fish that ran
a tremendous amount of line. Unfortunately, it also tangled the line of another
angler, and before Captain Bill could clear the line, Ray's line parted as the
fish made another surge. After striking out at the airport, all anglers were kept
busy with small bluefish. The Vivif jig out-fished surface lures, including poppers
and jerk baits. Cathy not only caught her first bluefish, she also caught a bass
on a Vivif jig worked deep and retrieved slowly. The fishing in the morning was
very slow, but the late morning bite had all the anglers busy.
Saturday,
Joe Smith and Lisa Riendeau of Maine were aboard The Draggin' Fly before
dawn. Casting Bass Assassins did not produce any stripers in Hingham but in Quincy
Bay Joe and Lisa had several encounters with 16-18 pound blues. At slack water,
Captain Bill headed to the airport to check the finger channels where bass often
hold until water begins to move onto the flats. Lisa and Joe caught four bass
from 24-26 inches. Heading back to Quincy, the crew found pockets of blues, much
smaller than the earlier fish. A decision was made to work the shallow water around
the rocks in hopes of catching a big bass. This proved to be an excellent move,
as Lisa caught her biggest fish ever, 1 36 inch bass that inhaled the soft jerk
bait and was off to Massachusetts Bay! She did an excellent job subduing this
fish that at first seemed unstoppable. One other 30-inch bass was caught and released
before returning to dock. July 31,2005
It was a busy week
for The Draggin' Fly which sailed out of Hingham Harbor, but at the end
of the week she moved back to the new docks in the back River.
J. T.
Rosnock of Milton and Rich Torrelli of Newton were aboard on Monday to
challenge bass with fly rods and light spinning tackle. The first stop in Quincy
Bay produced a bluefish for Rich who was casting Bass Assassins. The forecasted
10-15 mph winds out of the southwest were already pushing the upper limits when
J. T. hooked the first bass of the trip on a conehead fly. On the Deer Island
flats it became obvious that the weatherman missed this call as even J. T. was
forced to put away the fly rod. J. T. caught a small bass on a Vivif jig before
Captain Bill made the decision to retreat back to dock. And what a wild ride it
was, with winds gusting to 40 mph!
Seasonal clients, Damon Reed of Vermont
and John Kiely of New Hampshire were aboard on Tuesday. Again, it was an
exceptionally slow start with only a few small bass and a lonely bluefish to show
for all Damon's and John's casting. Captain Bill traveled North to Lynn and Nahant,
but found little bait and fewer fish. Just when it looked like this trip would
go down as the slowest on record for the crew, Damon hooked a big fish that crashed
all over the surface. When the fish was subdued, Captain Bill measured it at 36
inches. On the next drift, Damon hooked another hot fish. Unlike the first bass,
this fish charged to deep water and held her ground. Getting maximum leverage
from his rod, Damon slowly pumped the fish up. Captain Bill grabbed the 31 pounder,
a 42-inch fish, for a quick photo and released this trophy fish. John grabbed
the last fish of the day, a "small" 30-inch bass. A great finish to
what looked to be a slow day.
Wednesday, old friend, Rick Lucas
of Pembroke, challenged Captain Bill to see if he could put up with him for a
whole day. The first stop in Quincy Bay produced a few chases, but no bass. One
bluefish did succumb to a Bass Assassin. At the airport flats, Rick got another
blue on the Assassin. The drift on Little Fawn Bar showed fish, so Captain Bill
decided to try the finger channels by the airport, hoping that the bass were holding
in the deeper water. And they were. But they also refused to eat any lures. Finally,
Rick broke out his special trolling gear. It took awhile, but Rick's Widow Maker
caught a nice bass.
Tim Wern of Connecticut set up a light tackle trip
to celebrate his dad's 70th birthday. Joining Tim and Dave was Joe Lebens, who
fishes stripers in the rivers of Connecticut and was eager to see how fishing
was done in the Harbor. Despite strong Northeast winds, Tim worked a Bass Assassin
in front of several bass only to have a bluefish attack. Dad was the next to hook
up, but the bluefish bit through the soft jerk bait. Captain Bill was hesitant
to change tackle and use wire since there were bass around. Dave switched to a
Vivif jig, hoping to get a bass by fishing deeper, but again, the bluefish bit
through the plastic line. On the next cast, Dave hooked his first bluefish ever,
smaller than Tim's but still a nice fish. A little while later, Dave landed his
first striper ever. As the tide receded, The Draggin' Fly moved to explore
the finger channels at the airport. Yes, they held fish like the previous day,
but the fish refused to eat. Even when Captain Bill set out tubes and worms, these
fish just stripped off the worms and missed the hooks. The crew had to leave these
fish in order to get on the road home. Tim promised to return before his dad's
75th birthday.
Friday was the annual Skadden fishing Derby. This
downtown law firm contracts with Captain Bill to coordinate this event. Reel Dream,
Roccus, Patty Ann, and Irish Ayes joined The Draggin' Fly for this year's
event. Stan Zacharenko on the Draggin' Fly was the first to score on a bass, and
this would prove to be no small fish. Once Captain Bill was able to subdue the
fish, it was measured and weighed. Stan's bass stretched the tape to 42 ½
inches and weighed in at just shy of 32 pounds. Casting Vivif jigs; Ronni of Israel
hooked her first ever bluefish. For the next hour, Stan and Ronni cast Vivif jigs
and Bass Assassins to hungry bluefish in Quincy Bay. Once this school of blues
broke up, Captain Bill decided to leave the other boats to search for bass. In
the tidal rip along the mussel bed at Deer Island, Ronni and Stan each hooked
big bass. The biggest brought to the boat was 36 inches, but Ronni missed a much
larger fish. The entire Skadden group had a great time. Stan won the bragging
rights until next year's challenge.
Bob Sutherland of New York joined
Captain Bill for a fly fishing trip on Saturday. After picking Bob up at
Rowes Wharf, it was time to explore the inner harbor bays. A school of bass had
bait pinned up in the shallow waters of the Fore River, but Bob was not able to
get a cast into them before they broke up. One good size bass was caught on a
friend's boat. After failing to find any fish inside, the Draggin' Fly headed
North to fish some rock piles. A small pod of bass was found in shallow water
off of Nahant. Bob cast a conehead Bomber and landed a 26-inch bass. A larger
fish took a Bass Assassin off the surface. This bass was 34 inches and was released.
These fish also broke up quickly, leaving no trace of where they went. Back in
Quincy Bay, there was a quick spurt of action with bluefish, but they too broke
up. Bob spent the rest of the trip trying to get some bass at the airport to open
their mouths. Finally, admitting defeat, The Draggin' Fly headed back to
Boston! Bob did get to see the Constitution turn around at Castle Island.
July 24, 2005
Sunday, July 17, Draggin' Fly regular,
Bill Lane of Duxbury brought along his nephew Kevin of Halifax for a light tackle
trip. Captain Bill ran right back to where guests scored on some trophy size bass
on the previous trips. The sonar indicated that there were still some fish on
the ledge, but they certainly weren't hungry. Moving to the airport flats, Bill
caught a small schoolie on a Vivif jig, and Kevin caught his first bass on a fly
rod. Looking for bigger bass, The Draggin' Fly moved outside to the rocks
in Nahant Bay. The crew switched to soft jerk baits. Bill was the first to connect
with a 26-inch bass. On the next drift, Kevin missed a bass but on the next cast
hooked a good size bluefish that managed to bite through his plastic bait before
it could be boated. That was okay because on the next cast Kevin got a bass. Bill
hooked a large bass that ran off a lot of line before throwing the hook. Bill
commented that he would have to catch him on the next trip.
Wednesday's
charter with season clients, Damon Reed of Vermont and John Kieley of New Hampshire
was an unusually late start for The Draggin' Fly, which usually sails before
dawn. The ramp in Weymouth is closed for repairs, which forces Captain Bill to
put in at the Hingham ramp. This ramp is unusable at low water. The first stop
at Governor's Flats produced several small bass on Half 'N Halfs and conehead
flies. Moving into deeper water off Deer Island, the crew found several large
bass that refused any fly. John finally hooked a massive bass on a very small
clouser. This fish inhaled the fly just as John was pulling the line out of the
water, giving all of the crew a good look at it. The bass ran quickly into the
backing before doubling back, causing slack to build up and this was all she needed
to throw the hook. The last stop in Quincy Bay proved to be quite productive.
Damon hooked a number of small bluefish and a couple of bass on one of his pusher
poppers. John caught a 30m inch bass and a bluefish on a chartreuse Bomber fly.
It was another late start for fly rodders Tony DeStephano and friend, Rich of
New Hampshire. The first stop in Quincy Bay found some big bass in very shallow
water that showed no interest in anything that Tony or Rich offered. Even when
Tony switched to a Bass Assassin, The fish continued to be elusive. There were
very few fish on Governor's Flats, and only one bass fell for a Vivif jig. After
the tide changed, Captain Bill moved back inside to see if the bass there had
found their appetites. Again, they refused flies but when Tony and Rich switched
to rubber shads, the action began. The first fish hit short but Rich hooked up
on a nice 36-inch bass. His next fish was even larger. Both of these fish were
released to fight another day.
Dave Deitz of Sharon brought along his
son Andrew. Both anglers are accomplished fly rodders. Pushing off before dawn,
The Draggin' Fly headed for the shallows. The fish were not interested
in flies, but they did attack Andrew's jerk baits. Although the crew jumped a
few large bass, the bluefish were quicker. At low water, Captain Bill headed to
Boston to fish the finger channels along the airport. Once the water began to
come in, the bass became more active. The first fish were not of legal size Then
Dave scored on a 34 inch bass. Not to be undone, Andrew hooked a hot fish that
fought deep. The fish was brought close enough for Captain Bill to grab it with
a Boga grip and Andrew had dinner for himself and a lot of friends. His bass measured
37 inches and weighed 20 pounds.
Paul Ponichera of Hingham put together
the crew for Sunday's light tackle trip. Joining Paul was neighbor Russ
Caruso, Joe Kehoe of Falmouth, and Bob Kizelewicz of Holbrook. Paul fishes with
Captain Bill a number of times each year. The wind was blowing hard out of the
Northwest making sight fishing impossible. The crew cast Bass Assassins and Vivif
jigs in the shallow waters of Quincy Bay. Paul was the first to connect with a
bass. Bob and Russ had their plastic baits torn up by bluefish. Before moving
out, Paul landed another bass and a small bluefish. When the tide changed, the
wind diminished. Trolling the Quarantine Rocks, the crew hit a number of bass,
including Bob's 36-inch bass. The next stop at the airport produced only one 32-inch
bass for Paul. Back in Quincy Bay, the crew finished the trip hunting for fish
in the shallows. Russ caught the last fish of the day, a 26-inch bass.
July
8, 2005
Wednesday's rains and Thursday's strong Northeast
winds kept The Draggin' Fly at dock.
On Friday, July 8,
fly rodder, Dave Gale of Sharon, a Draggin' Fly regular, met Captain Bill
for an early morning trip. The wind was manageable, but still out of the northeast.
The mist was steady; keeping both Dave and Captain Bill wet throughout the trip.
There was no concentration of fish with the exception of the airport flats. Some
bluefish were located but they just cut through the soft baits. One bass hit in
inches of water and on the next cast a bluefish inhaled a Bass Assassin that Captain
Bill managed to tail before being cut off. The rain came in mid morning signaling
an end to a slow day.
The early morning rain and strong winds kept the
Draggin' Fly at dock once again.
Sunday, July 10, Steve
Maloney of Maine invited skiing buddy Eric and his son Evan along for a light
tackle trip. Launching at dawn, the crew searched the shallows for bass. Each
angler managed to catch a bass before a decision was made to move off shore to
search for bluefish. Once the tide turned and began to come in, schools of blues
began to gather for a late morning meal. The fish were tearing into herring. A
quick switch to poppers got Steve, Eric, and Evan into fish. At times two or even
all three anglers were fighting blues up to ten pounds. During the bite, seagulls
looking for scraps darkened the sky. This brought a crowd of boats that kept breaking
up the schools of fish. Steve, Eric, and Evan had a great introduction to "Hahbah
fishin".
Paul Ryan of Marshfield and Gerry Feely of Waltham, Draggin'
Fly regulars were aboard on Monday, July 11. The crew found a packet
of fish suspended in deep water on the Castle Island ledge. Gerry hooked a 24-inch
bass on a Vivif jig on his first cast. Paul was fly-fishing and had a take on
his Half 'N Half but did not hook the fish. That was all of the fish that would
cooperate. Captain Bill tried a number of spots, fishing rocky shorelines, shallow
flats, and deep channels. Even when resorting to trolling, only a few small fish
were caught. Gerry and Paul have fished with Captain Bill for many years and this
will be remembered as the slowest trip.
Fishing improved somewhat on
Tuesday for Adrian Jackson of Charleston and his guests Dave and John.
Adrian charters The Draggin' Fly several times each season to entertain
and introduce guests to the Boston Harbor experience. John was the first to hook
a big bass in the shallows of Quincy Bay. This fish took John's rig into the weeds
and rocks, resulting in a break-off. Both John and David landed schoolies before
Captain Bill moved The Draggin' Fly to catch the end of the outgoing tide
on Fawn Bar. After a few misses, Dave landed a 32-inch bass. At slack water, the
crew hunted the waters around the airport and found some fish that refused all
offerings. After the water began to come in, John and Dave caught a few more bass
in the Quarantines.
On Wednesday, tackle rep., Dan Shea of New
Hampshire brought along Glenn Case tackle buyer for Natick Outdoors. Captain Bill
set up a drift on a ledge along the Hospital Shoals. The fish finder lit up, marking
fish on the bottom. Dan was working a number of different flies, while Glenn cast
Harrison Hoge's Vivif jigs, one of Dan's tackle lines. The first bass about 24
inches took a 1-oz. Vivif jig. The next few drifts failed to produce. Changing
colors to a mullet Vivif jig, Glenn hooked a much larger fish that made a long
initial run. This was no small fish. Glenn brought his 40-inch bass along side
of the boat so that Captain Bill could grab it with the Boga grip. The weight
of the fish was 26 pounds, a nice fish on 12-pound tackle. Two more legal size
bass were caught and released on light tackle before The Draggin' Fly moved
north. The crew wanted to explore the rocks off Nahant to see what they held.
Just off Bass Point, Captain Bill positioned the boat in 5 feet of water to cast
surface bait into the rocks. A number of fish followed the lures but refused to
eat. Dan had not fished this area and commented on how fishy it looked, but not
today.
Friday, July 15, Duffy Ross of Marshfield met Captain
Bill at the dock to make the run across the Harbor to pick up Mike Thwing and
Craig Fitzgerald at Rowes Wharf. After a quick hello, the crew was off. At the
first stop at Spectacle Island, Mike had a large bass blow up on his Bass Assassin
but never got the hook into the fish. In skinny water on Governor's Flats both
Mike and Craig took bass on soft jerk baits and Mike also got a small bluefish.
After dropping Craig off at Rowes Wharf, Duffy and Mike got into some serious
bluefish off Nahant. At first the fish were just finning on the surface. Then
they decided to feed. Mike used poppers and Duffy cast a Half 'N Half. Most of
the fish were in the six to eight pound range but Duffy landed one over ten pounds
before the bite ended.
Saturday, July 16, Erin Breen, a recent
graduate of Merrimack College, arranged a belated Father's Day trip for her dad,
Bob. Joining Erin and Bob was sister, Amy. The morning started slowly. Fish were
found on the sonar but refused to bite. The crew was casting Vivif jigs and Captain
Bill put out a few eels to drift in the current. Both Amy and Erin caught school
bass; but blues cut off their plastic lures before Bob hung a big one. This fish
streamed off line as it thrashed all over the surface. When Captain Bill brought
it aboard it measured 40 inches and pushed the Boga grip to 26 pounds. After this
bite, the crew went offshore in search of bluefish but unlike the previous day,
none could be found. Moving back inside to the airport flats, Erin hooked a hot
fish that gave her a real workout. This fish won top honors of the day, measuring
42 inches and pushing 30 pounds. Erin also hooked a massive fish only to have
the hook pull, but at least everyone got a chance to see it. Erin also took top
honors for the smallest fish of the day, a 14-inch bass. Congratulations to the
Breens! July 3, 2005
Jack Fallon of New Hampshire
brought along his son, Nick and his college friend for a light tackle trip. The
first stop in the Inner Triangle just off of Western Way produced a quick flurry
with small bass. The bait didn't last long, so Captain Bill moved to Castle Island
where Jack connected with a medium size bluefish. For the next hour, the crew
continued to cast Bass Assassins, hooking several blues and landing a few. Nate
and Nick each landed bass. Moving back inside, the anglers found a lot of schooling
bluefish that were hard to catch. The crew also jumped some very large bass that
were even harder to catch. At slack water, it was time to explore the airport
flats. Here the fish were holding deep, so a decision was made to do some trolling,
which produced some large bass.
Joining Peter Gallagher for an early
morning light tackle trip were Joe Grabmeier, Paul Weiner, and Ron Murphy. Pushing
off before sunrise, the crew crossed the Harbor to Deer Island. For the next hour,
the crew was casting to some very large bass that had bait trapped in the shallow
water along the seawall. Peter hooked what appeared to be a very large fish. The
fish crashed all over the surface and managed to throw the hook. On the next cast,
Peter hooked up again with another big fish. This time, the fish ran the line
into heavy seaweed that was allowing it slack. Captain Bill knew it was only a
matter of time before this fish would also be lost, so he put Joe on the wheel.
The crew worked together to maneuver The Draggin' Fly so that Captain Bill
could free the line from the weed. This was accomplished and the fight continued
with Peter winning the battle and landing a 25 pound bass on ten pound tackle.
This bite lasted until high water, then it was time to move inside to check out
the Inner Triangle. Again, some big bass had herring trapped along the rocky shoreline
of Spectacle Island. The Bass Assassin that worked earlier continued to get a
lot of attention. At one point, all four anglers were hooked up with bass pushing
the 30-inch mark. After several doubles and triples, the crew finished the morning
catching two more keepers in the shallow waters of Quincy Bay. This is a trip
that Peter, Ron, Joe, and Paul will long remember.
Saturday, Jim
Nelson of Winchester set up an early morning trip for his father-in-law, Dale
Hoffner and brother-in-law Alec Hoffner of Florida. Also on board was Jim's brother,
Bob of Scituate, always a high liner on The Draggin' Fly. Setting up in
very skinny water near Deer Island, the crew hit some big bass before sunrise.
These fish were very aggressive and jumped all over the soft jerk baits that the
crew was casting. At one time, all four anglers were hooked up at one time. Captain
Bill saw some very big bass tailing in inches of water. Jim was the first to hook
up on one of those cows and Dale made it a double. Dale's fish that would be measured
in pounds rather than inches put on quite a show, thrashing all over the surface.
There was no stopping this fish, so Captain Bill instructed Jim to put more pressure
on his fish so that they could chase down Dale's fish. Jim did an excellent job
bringing in his bass. Captain Bill grabbed this 36-inch fish and threw it onto
the deck. And the chase was on! Dale recovered 50 or 60 yards of line before the
fish surged again. Unfortunately, the leader parted and the war was over. As the
sun came up, the bass moved into deeper water. Alec switched to a fly rod, and
once he mastered the deep sinking line technique, landed a legal size bass. The
other anglers worked Vivif jigs and bushtails to tally a number of bass. At slack
high water, The Draggin' Fly moved offshore where there were rumors of
bluefish. Just west of Grave Light, the first school of blues was located. Switching
to poppers, the crew battled bluefish with an occasional big bass mixed in for
the next two hours.
Captain Bill will be taking a short break during
the July 4th holiday week. The Draggin' Fly will be back on the water later
in the week.
June 26th, 2005
Tuesday,
Dave Deitz of Sharon was on board for a fly fishing trip. A small school of bass
was working bait at Bass Rip off Long Island, but showed no interest in Dave's
flies. The next stop at Governor's Flats looked promising. There was a lot of
small bait on the surface and the terns were working hard. Dave hooked up but
it was a short fight as the hook pulled. Moving out into deeper water, the fish
were found holding in 20 feet of water. Dave hooked what appeared to be a big
bass on one of his personal ties. After the initial run, the bass seemed to give
up easily. After a quick photo, Dave released the bass that was over 30 inches
long. At times, the bass were on the surface but were moving too fast to keep
on them. The fish that were suspended in deeper water proved to have lock jaw.
Dave managed a few more fish before heading back to dock.
Damon Reed
of Vermont and John Kieley of New Hampshire were aboard for a fly fishing trip
on Thursday afternoon. Running to the outer harbor was a good decision
as Damon and John got into some big bass. While Damon fished his infamous Fleece
Fly, John stayed with one of Captain Bill's Half 'N Halfs. There was not much
surface action, but the fish were holding just off the North Channel in 20 feet
of water. At low water, the crew moved into some very skinny water made even shallower
with the minus tide. These fish were even bigger than those encountered outside.
Small pods of mackerel kept these fish busy. John landed a 38 inch linesider,
and Damon's biggest fish was just an inch or two shorter. Once the tide began
to come in, the fish were off to other hunting grounds.
Saturday,
June 25 Paul Ponichera of Hingham put together the crew for a light tackle
trip. Joining Paul on this trip were his cousin, Allan of New Bedford, Bob Kizelwicky
of Holbrook, and Tom Acciavati of Weymouth. Captain Bill decided to check outside,
but found nothing. A call from a friend brought The Draggin' Fly back inside
to the Inner Triangle. Bass were working bait just off Castle Island. Paul was
the first to connect on a soft jerk bait, and Tom soon made it a double. These
fish were just shy of legal size. When the fish went down, the crew switched to
jigs. Al was the first to hook up with a legal fish that was quickly released.
Bob also managed a fish before the bite ended. Captain Bill decided to check out
Governor's Flats at low water, but unlike the previous days, no fish were found.
With the water moving in, a decision was made to troll the channel edge. Bob hooked
a hot fish that fought hard on the surface. This fish almost reached the three
foot mark. The rest of the crew caught bass up to 33 inches before the water was
moving enough to search the flats again. Bass had moved into six feet of water.
Tom and Bob made it a double using Bass Assassin shads. Paul hooked the first
bluefish of the season and Al also had an encounter with a blue. Both fish bit
through the plastic lures before they could be landed.
Sunday, Bob
Sutherland, an experienced fly rodder from New York, was casting to breaking
fish within minutes of being picked up in downtown Boston. Bob was using one of
Jack Gartside's soft hackles. Bob managed to catch a few bass before the fleet
moved onto the school. Once the sun began to heat the water, the bass moved into
deeper water. A few fish were located on the flats, but they also were difficult
to catch. The Draggin' Fly moved to the outside islands, but had nothing
to show for all of Bob's efforts. Back at the airport, Captain Bill's sonar lit
up with bass, but these fish had no intention of eating. A check with other boats
confirmed that the fish had lock jaw.
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