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Captain's Wrap Up
The 2008 Season in Review

The 2008 fishing season certainly was interesting and quite different than most other seasons. While more trophy bass over 40 inches were caught this year than during any other season since Captain Bill started fishing Boston Harbor on a full time basis, the late summer proved to be more difficult than past years. By mid-August, there is usually a strong run of peanut bunker (immature pogy) off-shore, and then the peanuts historically move into the inner Harbor during September, providing explosive surface fishing. However, this year, the bait just wasn't here or anywhere else in Southern New England in any numbers. While many chunk fishermen claim that peanuts only attract school fish, Captain Bill respectfully disagrees with them. Over the years, Draggin' Fly clients have caught many trophy fish using artificial lures among schools of peanuts. Peanut bunker is not only an important bait fish, but more importantly, it grows into mature pogies. Our striper fishery could be in trouble in future years.

There were some good signs this fall. The number of herring fry that hatched in the protected estuaries of Boston Harbor was exceptionally strong. There were also massive schools of mature pogies that attracted trophy bass and monstrous bluefish from late summer throughout the fall.

Again this year fly rodders, Damon Reed of Vermont and John Kieley of New Hampshire contracted with Captain Bill to fish every other week as they have done for the past 9 years. Fishing during every part of the 2008 season, Damon and John had the unique experience to see the many different faces of Boston Harbor. John and Damon will be the first to admit that the fishing this past year was not always easy. But whether they were stalking bass in skinny water during the early morning hours of July or chasing fish along the rock ledges of the Inner Triangle, it was a season to remember even for these harbor veterans.

The spring began much like the last few years-the wind blew and the rain came, putting a damper on the early season. As the weather improved later in May, the Harbor fishing broke wide open. A solid return of herring provided Draggin' Fly anglers plenty of opportunities to target jumbo fish on light tackle and fly rods. Much like the past two seasons, the large schools of blues that Harbor fishermen have counted on for years in the Outer Harbor and along the off-shore ledges during early June were not there. Throughout the season, bluefish were certainly not as numerous as they were just a few years back. Yet, the ones that were boated were bigger than those usually encountered in Boston. It was common to catch jumbo choppers over 3 feet during the season and the biggest was 39 inches caught in September.

Although the spring bluefish run was a big bust, bass continue to move into Harbor's bays and rivers throughout June attracted to the massive schools of herring that were making their way to their spawning grounds in the Harbor's rivers. Then, the invasion of mackerel began. There were more tinker mackerel available than during any recent season, and they hung in there right into July. Throughout the spring, there were the usual massive schools of juvenile bass, but the bait also attracted schools of jumbo bass. While anglers in Northern New England were complaining about a lack of bait and fish, Draggin' Fly's light tackle anglers and fly fishers had good luck in terms of numbers and size of fish throughout June into July.

Much of our efforts after the herring spawned and the mackerel moved North was spent stalking big bass in the shallow waters of the Inner Harbor. Again this season, the success of the Draggin' Fly during this time was very noticeable among the fleet. Captain Bill believes that the success of his clients during this part of the season was directly related to their commitment to be on the water before dawn, long before other anglers, and sticking with the strategy of hunting the shallows. July provided challenging angling experiences for Draggin' Fly's clients who enjoy hunting skinny water and casting to fish with light tackle and flies. On many trips, anglers jumped big fish and had opportunities to cast to trophy bass in very shallow water. Big bass in the shallows are very leery and easily spooked. At times, these fish can also be difficult to hook. It took skillful, accurate casting and a lot of patience. Several anglers caught some very large bass during the month. By late July, schools of mature pogies began to return to several bays in the Inner Harbor, attacking large fleets of boats on a daily basis.

August began as July ended…shallow water hunting! Since the peanut bunker was not available and there were plenty of juvenile herring on the North Shore, the Draggin' Fly began to fish the eel grass flats along the rocky shorelines. Bass on these grass flats were more difficult to pick out especially in low light conditions that the Skipper liked to fish. However, clients who stalked the flats during the early dawn hours were often rewarded with explosive action. While many boats continue to troll the deep water, Captain Bill stuck with his strategy of fishing the shallows for selective bass throughout early August.

As pogies became even more plentiful in mid- August, schools of huge bass that had been feasting on sand eels on Stellwagen Bank began to move into the Inner Harbor. The bass were bigger and more bluefish were in the mix. It's no secret that Captain Bill pioneered the use of soft plastic jerk baits on bass and has been using these lures with great success for almost two decades. He believes soft baits allow anglers to best target color, size, and action of available bait. However, this year the fish were so keyed into live bait that they proved nearly impossible to catch on artificial lures.
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As word got out about the huge schools of pogies in Boston Harbor, pressure was intense during September and continued right through to the end of October. This year, the weather was terrible during much of September and October. First, there was Hannah and then the unnamed tropical depression followed by a series of Nor'easters. Captain Bill cancelled more trips during the fall than he did during the entire past two seasons put together. While there were far fewer surface blitzes this fall, schools of bluefish and bass could be found from Quincy Bay right into downtown Boston and in every estuary in between. Ignoring the cold and fighting the wind wasn't for everyone, but it was certainly rewarding. More big bass were caught from mid-September until the season's last trip in mid-October than in any past season, including a 50 pound linesider and several from 30-40 pounds.

If you didn't fish with Draggin' Fly charters this year, you missed the best fishing in years. This past season was a complete sellout, so be sure to book early for 2009. Don't miss out on what is sure to be another exciting season.

Captain's Report
October 12, 2008

Captain Bill is now back working full time and fishing only weekend charters. Saturday, Paul Shafer of Connecticut met the Skipper well before dawn. Paul, an avid fly fisher who has fished on the Draggin' Fly for years had originally booked in early September, but Hannah forced a change in plans. Captain Bill had kept Paul posted about the fishing conditions and the lack of action on the long rod. However, Paul made the decision to give it ago with light tackle. Joining Paul on this trip were his son, Alex of Marlboro and Rob Lewis from West Springfield. It was a fast but cold run across the Harbor. The water temperature had dropped some 4 degrees since the previous weekend and the air temperature was in the low 40s. The crew stopped long enough to snag a few pogies and then the hunt began. While most boats troll pogies on heavy conventional tackle in deep water, Captain Bill uses Penn 560 spinning reels and 15 pound rods. The Skipper has also been having his best luck in the shallows. The first stop at the Deer Island Flats looked promising as the crew's pogies got the attention of some big bass in 4 feet of water. After several misses, Paul was the first to hook a nice bass that used its entire body to try and throw the hook. As Paul's fish put on a great show charging all over the shallow water, Alex's rod also got tight. However, in an effort to avoid a major tangle, the hook came loose. Paul's fish measured over 44 inches and was in the 30 pound range. And for Paul, who fishes his own boat in Long Island Sound, this was his biggest bass of his career. Alex brought up the next big bass while fishing a rigged pogy on one of Captain Bill's bait runner spinning outfits, but again this fish managed to drop the bait before the hook found its mark. Bob and Alex brought up other bass came up but all were able to avoid the hook. Given the slow conditions, the crew found it exciting to witness these fish attacking the bait, often knocking the pogy out of the water. The Shafer crew is already making plans for next year.

Sunday, Bob Maynard of Marshfield invited Jeffrey Caira of Norwell to share a light tackle trip. Based on fishing pressure of the previous day, Captain Bill had prepared Bob and Jeff for the difficult fishing conditions that they might face. A decision was made to make a very early start and be off dock in front of the crowd. Again it was a cold run across the Harbor in the dark, but this proved to be the correct move. As the crew, stopped to snag a few pogies, big bass erupted around the boat. After a few instructions from the Skipper, the crew got busy trying to get bait. While Jeff was reeling in a pogy that he had just snagged, a big bass jumped all over and the fight was on. Jeff continued to battle his bass on a Penn Slammer spinning reel and Captain Bill rigged a pogy that he had kept on ice from Saturday's trip. He cast this rigged bait right into crashing fish…soon Bob was also tight to a nice fish. The commotion two big fish attracted the attention on a several boats, which soon were encircling the Draggin' Fly. Jeff's fish measured a little over 40 inches and Bob's fish was just shy of this mark. Once the crew got a few pogies, it was time to get out of this area. Captain Bill began to work the shallow water looking for some more fish. Captain Bill has his on unique way of using this bait when the seas are flat like were this day; the Skipper rigs a fresh dead pogy, casts it out on spinning tackle, and slowly works it across the water. It did not take Bob long to master this technique. Several big bass followed the bait and Bob got the hook into one

Captain Bill has some concerns about the fishing in the Harbor that he will address in a future story. This season we have not seen the huge schools of peanut bunker that have invaded the Harbor in recent years. While many chunk fishermen claim that peanuts only attract school fish, Captain Bill respectfully disagree with them. Over the past several seasons, Draggin' Fly clients have caught many trophy fish using artificial among schools of peanuts. Peanut bunker is relatively new phenomenon. For years people believed that pogies spawned at sea and returned as adults. Today's research shows that the eggs hatch in protected coastal estuaries, mature, and then move out to sea. If there were peanuts during the hay days of pogies, Captain Bill for one does not remember them, at least not in the numbers they have shown in the last four years. What we are witnessing with all these adult pogies is good for the immediate season, but we could be in trouble in future years. The good sign is the number of herring fry available this fall.

After being confined to doing extra time on land due to the tropical depressions that held New England in their grips for almost a week, the weather finally broke after the weekend. A mid-week trip with Draggin' Fly regular, Frank Sannella of Scituate and his guest Ted Healey of Hingham started slow. The crew could find no fish in the skinny water of Quincy Bay which had been so productive prior to the storms. The next stop off of Governor's Flats looked more promising. The sonar showed lots of fish holding in 8-10 feet of water. A few even erupted on pogies, but the fish proved difficult to hook. Fishing rigged pogies, Frank was the first to hook up on a strong fish but the hook pulled just as the battle was getting underway. Several other fish gave chase and tracked on the baits when they were being retrieved but most turned away. Ted finally connected with a 38 inch bass. As the tide began to slacken, the fish became more cooperative. Bluefish up to 14 pounds hammered the baits, and several large bass were also caught and released. One of these fish took over 100 yards of line as the Penn Slammer's drag worked against the running fish. Just when Captain Bill was contemplating giving chase, Frank hooked up so there was no way to move the boat. Finally, Ted was able to stop the fish and began working her back to the boat. While Ted continue to battle his fish, the skipper helped Frank land and release a trophy bluefish, all along wondering if Ted had somehow fouled hooked a big bluefish. As the fish was brought boat side, the crew could see a monster bass that would stretch the tape to 51 inches. Captain Bill did not want to stress the fish anymore by hanging her on the scale so the weight will never be known. With the Captain supporting the fish's belly, a few pictures captured this catch and she was released back into the water. It took a little work to revive the fish, but she swam away using her powerful body to guide back through the water. Within minutes, Frank was tight to another big fish. Although this fish was not as big, it was still over 45 inches and a trophy by anyone's standards. This is a trip that Frank and Ted will long remember…one that started slow but with a strong finish. And one that saw the biggest bass of the season caught by an angler on the Draggin' Fly.

Saturday was supposed to be a busy day with two trips on the schedule. On board were Draggin' Fly regular Kevin Callahan of Scituate and Frank Sannella…yes the same Frank from earlier in the week. The forecast was for a light southwest wind, but even as Captain Bill pushed off before dawn there was a strong breeze from the northwest. The skipper knew that they missed the call on the weather because there was no way that the wind could possibly swing around to the SW. As the sun came up, the wind continued to build so the crew knew that they would have to make the best of the hand that they were dealt. Drifts were very fast and in the 2-3 foot seas it was nearly impossible to target fish. However, both Frank and Kevin managed to catch a few fish. The biggest bass was just bovver 36 inches and blues pushed 12 pounds. Captain Bill was forced to cancel the second trip.

Sunday dawned as a much different day. Although it was overcast, there was little wind and the seas were flat. Fly fishers, Wayne Perry of Middleboro and Charlie Fortier of East Bridgewater invited a mutual friend, Captain Larry Cook to join them. Captain Larry is presently working in the marine salvage industry in the South but ran a charter boat for many years in Boston. Captain Bill had prepared the crew for the difficult fishing conditions that they would face with the long rod. This season is quite different than past years. The lack of peanut bunker has proven challenging to fly fishers. The fish are really keyed into pogies and for the past several trips, the fish have not been eating much other than natural bait. Failing to do anything fly fishing even after searching the North Shore (which has been historically productive during the fall season), Captain Bill convinced Wayne and Captain Larry to move over to the dark side and try pogy fishing. While most charters use heavy conventional tackle to troll pogies in deep water, the Skipper uses 15 pound spinning tackle to drift rigged baits in shallow water. After catching a bunch of pogies, the Draggin' Fly headed to Governor's Flats. While Charlie, who caught bunch of big fish earlier in the season on the long rod continue to fish several of his ties, Captain Larry and Wayne worked the rigged baits. Wayne landed the first trophy bass, a 40 inch bass while drifting bait in the shallow water. Before the tide slackened, several big bass and bluefish were taken on the rigged baits. Most of these fish were released. Charlie gets an A+ for effort, but…he will return with Wayne in the spring to seek revenge!

The fishing looked like it was going to break open last week. We had the real first blast of peanut bunker inshore right after Hannah. The fishing was outstanding. Then we lost the peanuts. There is more herring fry than ever, but the fish are not on this bait. Off of West Gut and along the approach channels to Boston, it truly rains bait, but for the most part, the only things working these bait pods have wings. Pogies are thick as ever throughout the inner Harbor. Some days there is have an early morning surface bite but it does not last long. I added bait runner spinning outfits to cast pogies.

A mid-week trip with Draggin' Fly regular, David Deitz of Sharon proved to be quite interesting. David is an expert fisher who fishes with Captain Bill several times a year and a few seasons ago, David caught a 30 pound bass on an 8 weight fly rod. Just as the Draggin' Fly cleared dock, the area erupted with herring fry flying out of the water. Luckily, David had his fly rod rigged with a large Gurgler and he made a long cast. Almost immediately a big bass inhaled his fly and got right into the backing…but as quickly as the battle started, it was over. Somehow, the 3/0 hook pulled. Both David and the Skipper know that those things happen. After this fish, the bait scattered and so it was time to continue the hunt. After a quick run across the Harbor, David was soon casting into huge schools of pogies. Although big bluefish and the occasional bass were crashing into the pogies, David knew his best chance to catch a trophy bass on the long rod would be to try and sink a big pogy fly below the schools of bait. Meanwhile, Captain Bill snagged a few pogies to live line and keep the fish around the boat. Several bluefish up to 14 pounds were taken, and many others were lost before David and the Skipper had to admit that catching bass on the fly rod was not in the cards. Then a few pogies were put in the bait well and the search for bass was continued. Some bass were jumped in the skinny water by Moon Head. These fish were just laying on the surface but they would not hit a fly or a lure. It was like July, swirling fish and no takers!! Pushing into 4-6 feet of water, Captain Bill found more fish. Finally, a big bass was hooked. The interesting part was when Dr. Dave was fighting this fish two other huge fish followed it to the surface. And yes, David released this fish which was close to 46 inches and pushed 40 pounds.

Saturday, it was a return trip for Karl Jacobson of South Boston who chartered The Draggin' Fly to fish with his sons, Aaron of Boston and Michael of New Hampshire. Due to work and family commitments, the guys had not fished together for some years. It was a very cold morning with temperature at dawn just in the mid-40s and the wind made it seem even colder. The crew headed right to Dorchester Bay. However, this morning the wind broke up the pogies and bait was hard to come by. The large fleet of boats netting and casting snagging hooks did not make it any easier. Karl, Aaron, and Michael's patience paid off. Once the crew had enough fresh pogies, it was time to head north to look for bass in shallow water. Just off of Revere conditions looked a little promising. Small pods of fish would pop for a few moments on the surface providing a few opportunities for the crew to get a cast into them. Only a few bluefish were hooked but all cut through the lures and bait. After the tide turned, Captain Bill headed back inshore to fish the shallow water of Quincy Bay. Michael was the first to hook a nice bass fishing a rigged pogy on one of Captain Bill's new bait runner spinning outfits. This fish was a little bigger than 34 inches and would be the center of the Jacobson clan's evening barbeque. Several other bass came up but proved difficult to hook. It was exciting to witness these fish attacking the bait, often knocking the pogy out of the water. Michael managed to get a hook into another bass that was just an inch or so shorter than his first. Switching over to plastic baits to cover more water, Aaron hooked the biggest bass of the day that crashed across the surface as it stripped line from the reel against a strong drag. Unfortunately the hooked pulled, but not before the entire crew to see its massive size. As Aaron was retrieving the lure a big bluefish jumped on the lure, an unusual event but a nice consolation. Karl enjoyed spending time with his sons on the waters of Boston Harbor and the Captain enjoyed their company.

Sunday, Frank Farraye of Medfield was aboard for his last light tackle trip of the year. Frank fishes with Captain Bill several times a year and has had some great trips. Today, the first stop was in Winthrop to catch some pogies to fish in the shallow water on the incoming tide. Captain Bill wanted to avoid the fleet that was hunting pogies in Wollaston and Dorchester. After the bait was gathered, it was time to head North to Revere and look for fish in the shallows. By Point of Pines, Frank and the Skipper found a few bass working the surface including a real monster. Frank used a Bass Assassin to catch a 30 inch bass in 4 feet of water but could not get on any more fish. Moving into the deeper water of Broad Sound, some small pods of bait were located and soon the area erupted with fish. Frank caught several bluefish and another bass before these schools broke up. On the incoming tide, the Skipper headed back inside of Quincy Bay to fish an area that has been holding big fish for the past week. While most anglers are trolling live pogies, Captain Bill has his on unique way of using this bait when the seas are flat like were this day. The technique is to rig a fresh dead pogy, cast it out on spinning tackle, and slowly work it across the water. It did not take Frank long to master this technique. Several big bass followed the bait and others made a grab at it. Frank's first fish was a large 43 inch bass, and he had two more big bass before another boat charged into the area at full throttle and put the bass down. Frank and Captain Bill had these bass for themselves for over an hour, but now they had to wait for the fish to come back up. Frank also hung a huge bluefish that managed to throw the hook after 3 jumps in the shallow water. The final total was 5 bass from 25 to almost 40 pounds caught and released. The exciting part of this trip was that all these fish were seen and baited before the hook up. It was another great day!!

Mid-week Duffy Ross of Hingham and Mike Twing of Weymouth were aboard for a light tackle trip. The plan was to fish the way to Boston to pick up the third crew member, Erik Olsen in South Boston. Just outside of Hull Gut the crew found a school of bass working the herring fry that was dropping out of the Gut. Mike was the first to hook up on a Bass Assassin and Duffy also got quick attention. For the next half hour, the crew took turns catching bass working soft jerk baits into crashing fish. Mike hooked a big bass only to have the hook pull at the boat. Duffy reminded Captain Bill that Erik was waiting in Boston so they had to leave to make the downtown pick-up. Since there was only one other boat working this school of fish, the Skipper hated to leave these fish. After Eric was picked-up…a little late, the Draggin' Fly headed back to the Gut. But this bite died at slack water. Some more fish were found along Rainsford Island. While this bite was not as good as the earlier action, several bass were caught and released. As the wind built, Captain Bill decided to head to Boston and look for bluefish. Just off of Castle Island, the first school of blues was located, and Mike hit a nice fish on a jerk bait. Several more crashed lures, but most missed the hook. As crew made the turn at the fish pier, the bluefish had the pogies pinned close to pier. Even the Inner Harbor is loading up with bait!

Another mid-week trip with fly fishers, Damon Reed of Vermont and John Kieley of New Hampshire started well. The bass were once again off of Hull Gut searching for herring…on the very first cast, a feisty 26 inch bass fell for a Mushmouth. Today, there was almost no bait to hold the bass, which then headed into deep water…too deep for fly fishing. Off of Nut Island, birds were crashing on the water and picking up herring fry. But no fish were on this bait. The crew pushed off to hunt the bluefish. In Wollaston, the crew saw several big fish pushing pogies, but these fish showed little interest in flies. The crew had better luck under the bridge, where John hooked a nice bluefish fishing a heavy weighted fly under the pogies. Damon was the next to hook up. It was a light take, and he was surprised as the fish began to rip line against a tight drag. The fish fought deep making the rounds of the boat. Just when it looked like Damon was beginning to make some gains, the hook pulled before anyone got an eyeball on it. The crew wondered aloud whether this was a big bass, a foul-hooked bluefish…as the morning played out, the crew might have found the answer. The pogies were so thick that at times John and Damon snagged some as they worked their flies to the boat only to have the struggling pogy being attacked by bluefish. It was exciting to watch but not the usually way of fishing pogies.

Rick Sutphin of Beacon Hill met Captain Bill after the Saturday morning showers cleared out. Rick and Captain Bill saw a large fleet of boats working schools of pogies along Western Way. But they also saw pods of blues working herring just to the west of this fleet, along Moon Head. And no other boat was in this area! Rick made his first cast with a Bass Assassin and was tight to a nice bluefish. Throughout the season, Captain Bill saves used Bass Assassins to recycle them when blue fishing. These soft baits are rigged on short wire leaders. For the next hour, Rick was busy sight casting to surface feeding blues. After this action, tapered off, it was time to look for some more fish. There were plenty of pogies in the shallow water off of Carson Beach. Captain Bill decided to grab a few and head to the North Shore. There are usually big schools of peanut bunker from Revere to Nahant, which attract both bass and blues to this area. The Skipper was interested in seeing what live bait would produce. Getting live pogies proved somewhat difficult as bluefish attacked the baits as they were being reeled in. One very large bass also tore a pogie from the hook as Rick and the Skipper could only watch because it happened so quickly. The run to Revere was fast but not very productive…Rick brought up a few blues on Bass Assassins and all the live pogies were bitten in half. It was time to give up the bass hunt and return to the bluefish. Captain Bill was able to avoid the growing pogy fleet and found plenty of bluefish in Dorchester Bay. Rick landed several up to 12 pounds before it was time to return to dock.

Sunday was going to be a busy day for the Draggin' Fly with two trips on the book. Captain Bill was planning on picking up the first crew at dawn and then complete the day with an afternoon trip. However, the weather-rain and wind- pulled the plug on these plans.

Captain's Report
August 31, 2008

Again this week, there was almost no surface action in the Harbor except for a few quick bluefish blitzes in Quincy and Dorchester Bay. And it certainly is not for a lack of bait! The rivers and bays are loaded with herring and silversides. At times the water seems to be raining as bait pours through the water. There are even more pogies than past weeks. However, the fish have not found the herring and even the pogies are often undisturbed. As reported last week, the only thing missing is the peanut bunker. It seems as if conditions are ready for Harbor fishing to explode.

Overall, it was a challenging week in the Harbor. The only surface action was for bluefish. Captain Bill said "We worked the heck out of Inner Triangle hitting those areas that hold fish trying to get the bass to hit artificial lures. Heck, these fish are not even that interested in bait."

Thursday afternoon, Jimmy O'Brien of West Roxbury brought along his nephew, Craig Nelson of Vermont for an afternoon trip before Craig's return to school. A school of bluefish was working bait when the crew got to Moon Head, and the crew was soon casting the MirrOlure twitch baits. Captain Bill has just started using these lures and likes their erratic action. These lures seem to work well when worked quickly through the water column. Yet, they will also produce when the fish suspend like bluefish often do after a quick meal. For almost an hour Jimmy and Craig kept the Sipper busy releasing bluefish in the 5-8 pound range. On the incoming tide, the crew moved to the airport flats but found only bait. Heading back to Wollaston, the crew found huge schools of pogies being attacked by big bluefish. Jim hooked a 12 pound bluefish that put on quite a show taking to the air in an effort to gain its freedom. At boat side the fish managed to bite through the leader. This was the only fish that showed any interest in what the crew offered so a move was made to Peddocks Island. Here, tubes and worms proved deadly as Jim and Craig landed several bass up to 32 inches. Both Jim and Craig enjoyed their afternoon on the Boston Harbor.

Friday, David Deitz invited his son Matt and Joe Paduda of Connecticut to join him for a morning of fishing. David usually fishes the fly rod and over the last decade of fishing with Captain Bill has had some memorable catches including a 30 pound bass on a 7 weight rod. Matt caught the largest fish landed on the Draggin' Fly two seasons ago, a fish of 50 pounds that inhaled a soft jerk bait worked on 12 pound tackle in very shallow water. And Joe fishes his own boat throughout Long Island Sound so today Captain Bill had a very experienced crew aboard. Heading out through West Gut, big flocks of birds were activity working, diving and crashing the water…however they were working over huge schools of herring fry. Only one fish was raised. Not wanting to waste time, the Captain pushed off to hunt the shallows. This too proved futile. In Wollaston, the crew saw several big bass that were pushing pogies. Although each angler had follows on big bass, none were hooked. The airport flats were also void of fish so the crew decided to head North. There are usually big schools of peanut bunker from Revere to Nahant, which attract both bass and blues to this area in late August. But only one fish was raised so it was time to head back to Wollaston where bluefish had taken over from bass. Joe finally hooked a nice fish that measure a little over 34 inches. It was a very long day for Captain Bill and the crew.

The Booker family of Jamaica Plain wanted to learn more about fishing and to see the sights of the Harbor. Regular readers of Captain Bill's fishing log know that he likes to be off of dock at or before dawn, but the minus tide pushed back the start of Saturday's trip. However, it did not take long for the crew including Robert and Razan with their 7 year old daughter Lilia to connect with fish. On the first pass, Robert caught and released his first striped bass. Then it was Razan's turn to land her first ever bass. The next stop at Lower Middle was not nearly as productive. Scanning the sonar the crew found pockets of bass holding along the bottom. But with slack water these fish had lock jaw. Scanning the horizon, a huge flock of birds was seen crashing the water near Castle Island at the edge of Lower Middle. Captain Bill thought these were bluefish because they were moving so quickly. This was soon confirmed when Razan's bait was brought back without a tail and Robert's jig was also mangled. Rather than chase birds, the crew moved back to some hard bottom off of the Quarantine Rocks. Here the bass were cooperative and several more were released. Lilia and Razan both landed bass just shy of legal size. Although this was the latest start of the year for the Skipper, several nice fish were caught and released and the Bookers who told Captain Bill how much they loved their introduction to the Harbor.

Sunday, Dr. Frank Farraye of Medfield was aboard. Dr. Frank is an accomplished light tackle angler who fishes all over the world. When fishing aboard The Draggin' Fly which he does several times a year, he likes to target big bass in shallow water. Already this year, Frank has caught several trophy fish on previous trips. Current fishing conditions forced a new game plan. Captain Bill explained that the fishing has been slow casting artificial lures on light tackle, except for some bluefish. After discussing options, Frank decided that this trip was going to focus on fishing live pogies for trophy bass. When Frank met Captain Bill after sun-up, the wind was blowing hard from the northwest. The forecast was for 5-10 MPH with some stronger gusts. However, the wind was already blowing a steady 15 when the Draggin' Fly pushed off of dock. Despite the wind, Frank and the Skipper managed to grab plenty of pogies. Conditions were not right for an off shore run so Frank and Captain Bill were going to cover as much inside structure as possible before they got blown off the water completely. In the Anchorage, scattered schools of bluefish were moving quickly, but Frank was not interested in chasing them. The sonar found pockets of bass along the approach channels to the airport flats. Surprisingly, these fish showed no interest in what was being offered, even live pogies. It was time to admit defeat and make the long ride back to dock. Dr. Frank has one more trip scheduled this fall to best his 44 inch bass caught earlier this year.

Captain's Report
August 24, 2008

Draggin' Fly regular, JT Rosnock of Milton and his teenage son Jack met Captain Bill before dawn on Monday. Fishing the last few hours of the drop in Quincy produced some large bluefish and a mixed size of bass. JT normally fly fishes, but today he had to settle for light spinning tackle. His fly rod broke in the predawn hours, and since JT fishes his own tackle, Captain Bill did not have a backup rod onboard the boat. This was not the only equipment failure; a bail arm also broke on a nice fish. The best bite came just before slack water when big bass and jumbo blues pushed peanut bunker along the channel into shallow water. It was here that Jack hooked a very large bass on a Bass Assassin. Immediately, the fish charged away from the boat trying to get to some the nearby rocks to escape. Jack stopped the fish for a short time, but then the fish got another head of steam and reached the safety of the rocks. The mixture of bluefish kept the Skipper busy rerigging the soft baits for much of the morning. And there were also several encounters with herring gulls who seemed to love the soft lures which JT and Jack twitched across the surface as much as the fish. The schools of fish broke up at the change of the tide. The crew decided to check the Inner Triangle. In Lower Middle, they found some bluefish working bait. These fish moved very quickly and were difficult to stay on so Captain Bill moved back to the shallow water. But by now the wind had picked up making sight fishing impossible. JT managed to hook a bluefish on a soft jerk bait before calling it a day.

Tuesday, Bill Sutherland of Waltham put together the crew for a light tackle trip. Joining Bill were Tom Spiegel of East Walpole and Tony Locke of Norwood. Tony remembered fishing flounders many years ago, but he and Tom had never fished bass or blues in Boston. Again this morning, just after dawn the crew found blues crashing into peanut bunker in the shallow water of Hull Bay. For over an hour and a half, the crew cast soft jerk baits and poppers to schools of big blues. Bill was the first to catch a bass on a Vivif jig worked below the blues. The bluefish kept the Skipper busy rerigging rods for much of the morning. After this bite was over, Captain Bill moved to the Inner Triangle to look for bass. After the turn of the tide, the bass began to cooperate by the Airport. Tony was the first to score here on a bass that was just shy of legal size. There was no doubt that Tom's next bass was a big one as she tore line off the reel against a tight drag. This fish stretch the tape to 39 inches. On the next drift, both Tony and Bill doubled up on bass. Unfortunately, the Skipper had to head back inside to stay ahead of an approaching storm, but he had an idea where to find more fish. And his hunch was a good one because behind Bumpkin Island, the crew were into fish again… at least until the storm caught up to the Draggin' Fly. It was a wet ride back to dock, but the crew did not seem to mind.

Wednesday, Rick Lucas of Pembroke was aboard for his annual trip. The plan was to head outside the entrance to the Harbor and drift eels at dawn's slack tide. But a strong NW wind put a damper on this plan. The weather report was for a 5-10 MPH wind, but the wind was blowing over 15 MPH. The Gut was nearly unfishable because of the north wind against the falling tide. Toane and Rick managed to hook a few blues before the building sea and the outgoing tide made it too dangerous to drift into the rip forced a hasty retreat. Captain Bill decided to go around Peddocks and go out through West Gut where the water was a little calmer. There they found small pods of blues chasing bait along Sunken Ledge. It was very difficult to stay on these fish, but Toan and Rick caught several swimming jigs. The Airport flats held lots of bass, but most were small. However, Toan landed his biggest bass ever, a 41 inch fish in amongst these schoolies.




Thursday, Dan Fallon and Brian McLaughlin of New Hampshire along with Guy Nichols of Chelmsford were aboard for a light tackle trip on. These anglers had made friendly wages on the first fish and the biggest as well as the smallest fish. They also designated the Captain as the official referee. Today the wind was much more favorable for hunting fish. Once the tide began to run out and the rip off of Hull Gut formed, the fish became much more active. The catch was mostly bluefish in a mixture of sizes. Although it was NOT a fish a cast, there was a decent top water bite. The crew used Bass Assassins rigged on wire and smaller poppers worked across the head of the rip. At the next stop in the shallow waters of Dorchester Bay, the crew found huge schools of pogies. However the crew had several encounters with both bass and blues, Captain Bill knew that these fish would be difficult to catch with so much bait available. A decision was made to head to the airport and look for bass that were not keyed into pogies. This proved to be the correct decision as several bass were caught and released. The biggest was caught by Guy and stretched the tape to almost 40 inches. After the tide turned, Dan, Brian, and Guy were into non-stop bluefish. At first the fish were attacking herring along Western Way and then another school were herding peanut bunker in 2-4 feet of water on the north side of Long Island. These fish were very hard to stay on, but a fun way to end the day.

Friday, Bob Foley and his 12 year old son, David were aboard for an early morning trip. Bob who had been using his fly rod on past trips was fighting an elbow issue so today he would be using light tackle. The first stop at Hull Gut produced a mixture of bass and bluefish. Much of the action was on jigs. Captain Bill had rummaged through his garage to find some heavier jigs that he used years ago when casting into the rips off of Nantucket. David had the hot rod here, landing a bass well over 30 inches and losing a much bigger fish that used the strong current to gain its freedom. After the fish moved out of the rip, the crew moved to Wollaston where large schools of pogies were being driven by both bass and bluefish. It was here that David hooked a hot fish that fought deep and hard. With Bob coaching David landed the biggest bluefish of the season. Captain Bill decided to use the same strategy of the previous day, and headed to the airport flats. Both Bob and David landed bass up to 32 inches while trolling tubes and worms. The Draggin' Fly did not find the big schools of bluefish that Thursday's crew had found off of Long Island.

Paul Ponicherta of Hingham who fishes with the Draggin' Fly several times a year chartered the Draggin' Fly for two days. It was a full boat on Saturday as Paul's son Eric of Scituate, Bruce Person of Sheffield and Bob Kizelewicz of Holbrook were along for this trip. Captain Bill wanted an earlier than normal departure in order to avoid the crowd fishing the Winthrop Tournament. As the rip at Hull Gut built the bluefish became a little active. Today the Draggin' Fly was the first to fish this area but soon several other boats were also working the rip. The crew hit fish on both the surface and on Captain Bill's jigs until another boat decided to troll through the rip in the opposite direction of the boats which had been drifting with the tide. Then this boat actually began to stem the tide. The operator of this boat got upset set with Captain Bill for setting up a drift in front of him and got quite ugly when the Skipper tried to explain the etiquette of drifting. Rather than continue the confrontation, the crew headed across the Bay and found bass on Hospital Shoals. Most of the fish here were in the 24-26 inch range. Looking for bigger fish Captain Bill headed to Wollaston and found pods of bass and bluefish working pogies, but the crew only managed to hook one big fish. The Skipper moved the boat and tried several areas that had held good numbers of fish in recent days. At every stop, the crew caught bass. There was little surface action so most fish were caught trolling tubes and worms.

Joining Paul Ponicherta and Bruce Person on day two were Braam Pretorious of Milton and Colin Kearney of Scituate. Today, thick fog developed just after the crew left dock making it unsafe to fish Hull Gut. Captain Bill decided to drift eels over a nearby ledge. This seemed like a good strategy as Colin's eel was picked up and line began to run off the Penn 560. However, the fish dropped the eel only to attack again and then drop it…usually a sign of a bluefish. When Colin reeled in to check his eel, the bluefish attack was confirmed. Another eel was rigged and drifted over the ledge. Again, Colin's eel was attacked by a chopper so the crew knew that if they continued to drift eels, they would just be feeding bluefish. It was time to try some other structure. Several bass were taken along Quarantine Rocks, but none met the boat's minimum size limit of 30 inches. There were a lot of boats working pogies in Wollaston with little to show for their efforts so Captain Bill headed to the Airport. Here tubes and worms were trolled along the finger channels and several more bass were taken along with a good sized bluefish. One big fish hit the tube and after running off the two remaining colors of lead core and getting into the backing, the hook pulled. The crew finished the day back in Quincy Bay catching more school bass. Although this charter failed to produce the big one, Paul, Bruce, Colin, and Braam were into fish for much of the day. Paul will return at the end of September to once again hunt for a trophy bass.

Captain's Report
August 17, 2008

For more than a week, there has been almost no surface action in the Harbor. However, guests fishing with the Draggin' Fly have had opportunities to stalk fish in shallow water. The success of our anglers during this time is directly related to getting out early before the crowds and targeting areas holding bait. It's getting to be that time of year and everyone is anxiously awaiting the arrival of peanut bunker.
Meanwhile, there is plenty of bait spread out across the bays and on the flats. This summer there have been more pogies than even last year!! It seems as if conditions are ready for Harbor fishing to explode.

The rain forced the cancellation of Monday and Tuesday's trips. Monday was a fly fishing trip and the east wind was the deciding factor. Tuesday was the annual trip for a family from Connecticut, which was also washed out. On Wednesday, fly fisher, Damon Reed traveled from Vermont to meet Captain Bill at dawn who had spent the off days tying some new patterns. Damon was anxious to try them. There was still some residual wind, but Damon could handle it. As the boat cleared the no wake zone of the Back River, terns were working bait and a few bass were attacking the bait. Damon cast a 4 inch Mushmouth into the mix with no success. The size of his fly was a perfect match to the herring fry that was balled up outside the mouth of the river. Captain Bill also failed to get any attention with his soft jerk bait. A search of Quincy Bay produced only three school bass. The Inner Triangle usually produces on the incoming tide this time of year so the Draggin' Fly headed inside. However, today this area was as dry as a desert. On the Deer Island Flats, another schoolie was caught and released. At the top of the tide, some bass finally came up off of Spectacle Island, but they proved hard to stay on. Again, only one small bass was hooked. After the turn, the Draggin'Fly headed back into the shallows to hunt fish. There was plenty of bait but no fish. Damon had great fishing during his last outing just a week ago, but today was a different chapter in his Harbor fishing. Damon will take the next few weeks off to attend to business, but he has four more trips scheduled in September and early October.

Thursday, David Deitz of Sharon and his son Andrew of Boston were aboard for a morning of fly fishing. The crew tried all the shallow water in Quincy Bay but did not raise a fish. As a matter of fact only one fish was jumped. A searched of the Inner Triangle found nothing. A decision was made to move north to search the eel grass flats that had produced well last week on the dropping tide. Today, David and Andrew would be fishing the incoming tide. David landed the fish bass of the morning on a large Gurgler and Andrew also released a small bass on the same drift. Moving into the skinny water, a number of bass were caught and released. David switched to a Beast master and Andrew stayed with Captain Bill's thin version of a Mushmouth. Most of the action was in 2-4 feet of water. On the way back to dock, the crew once again made a stop at the Inner Triangle. The area was loaded with bait…herring of the year. At times, it looked like it with raining as the bait moved across the water but undisturbed. Captain Bill's sonar showed that the fish were holding very deep in over 40 feet of water, too deep even for these seasoned anglers. David will return in two weeks seeking revenge.

Draggin' Fly regulars, Frank Sannella and Kevin Callahan of Scituate were aboard for a light tackle trip on Friday. Today's plan was to push off before dawn and explore a nearby rock ledge. Just as the morning sky started to pinken up, Kevin hooked the first fish of the morning that put a major strain on his 12 pound spinning rod as it ran off 50 yards of line but the fish managed to pull the hook. As Kevin fought his fish, Frank also hooked up. This fish fought on the surface, but even in the dim light the crew could see that this bass had length and girth. When Frank got the bass boat side, he made the decision to release the fish. The crew estimated that this bass was close to 30 pounds. On the next drift, Kevin hooked up with another fish, but this fish did not fight on the surface. When Kevin managed to get the fish to the surface, it took to the air and the crew knew that this was the first of several bluefish. As the sun came up and the boat traffic increased, the fish moved out to deep water and shut off. The crew threw jigs but got no takers. It was time to change tactics and the Draggin' Fly headed to the Inner Triangle. The fish were there, but again were holding in very deep water. At the airport flats, the fish suddenly erupted and several were taken on Bass Assassins. Frank and Kevin finished the day back in Quincy Bay where Kevin hooked another hot fish that fought all over the surface…either it was a big bass that broke the line or a jumble blue that bite through the line.

Sunday's push off with Draggin' Fly regular, Jack O'Brien's crew from New Hampshire was a late one due to the minus tide of today's full moon. Joining Jack on this trip was his son Trevor, and fly rodder, Alex Doyle. After failing to get any attention on the rocks and flats in Quincy Bay, Captain Bill moved to the Deer Island Flats to fish the incoming water. The Draggin' Fly had some quick action here on the previous trip. On the first cast, Trevor hooked a big bass on a soft jerk bait that wouldn't stop. Captain Bill had to use the motor to keep on this fish. Once line was regained, Trevor managed to work his 41 inch bass to the boat and after a quick picture, the fish was released back into the water. Captain Bill encourages his clients to release big fish, as they are females and strong breeders. Jack was the next to land a bass on his jerk bait. Alex also hooked several fish on an olive Mushmouth in the shallow water. As the fish moved out to deeper water, the crew switched to Vivif jigs and Alex cast a Half 'N Half. Trevor landed a 30 inch bass which he released. Just before slack water, bluefish erupted on the surface along Spectacle Island. The bite did not last long, but several choppers in the 6-8 pound range were taken on white poppers. Alex used Captain Bill's Softex popper to catch his fish.

For many anglers, July and early August can be the most challenging time of the year for fishing. Draggin' Fly clients have been doing well stalking linesiders in shallow water, especially in the early hours of the morning. But these fish keep Captain Bill thinking. There has also been very few bluefish in local waters this year. Last week, the fishing was completely different than can be normally expected for this time of year. Last week brought "amazing" numbers of fish, while sight casting on both light and fly tackle. For much of the week, clients were able to cast to hundreds of bass and an occasional bluefish. Then over last weekend these schools of fish just disappeared. So it is back to hunting the shallows.

Monday, Frank Yalowchuk of Weymouth, an old friend of the Draggin' Fly met Captain Bill just before dawn. There was already a strong NW wind when the crew pushed off of dock, which would make sight casting in shallow water difficult. Today, Captain Bill would fish along side of Frank. In Quincy Bay, Frank managed to bring up a few fish but none found the hook. The next stop along Long Island looked more promising as birds were hovering over the water. Bass soon began to push bait to the surface. Working Bass Assassins Frank and the Captain hooked several bass in the 24-26 inch range. A switch to swimming jigs got the attention of some bigger bass. The biggest was 32 inches that Frank released. These fish cooperated until low tide. At slack water, Captain Bill headed to Deer Island Flats. The fish were more scattered there, but Frank and Captain Bill caught a few. At the next stop by Castle Island, the crew found similar conditions. The fish would drive bait to the surface for a minute or two, and then disappear only to reappear several hundred yards away. Back in Quincy Bay, more cooperative fish were located, but none were any larger than the earlier fish.

Tuesday, Chris Sharpe of Hingham invited his dad, Gary and brother-in-law, Lloyd Potter to join him for an early morning light tackle trip. Gary has a house on Spinnaker Island in Hull and is very knowledgeable about the history of the Harbor. Gary's stories entertained the Skipper throughout the morning. It was drizzling when the Draggin' Fly pushed off, but Captain Bill had his half mile of visibility that he requires in order to go. It was raining heavily in Quincy Bay so Captain Bill changed plans. The crew headed to Boston to look for fish and avoid the rain. There was not much surface action in the Inner Triangle. The fish were not schooling on bait as they had in the past week and were difficult to stay on. Once the rain cleared, the Draggin' Fly moved back into Quincy Bay, and the crew was on bass for the rest of the morning. Most of the bass were in the 24-28 inch range. The fish were holding in 12 feet of water, just off the rocks. The biggest was a 30 inch bass released by Chris.

On Wednesday, Captain Bill put together the boats for the Skadden Office Tournament. Every year, this downtown law firm completes its summer intern program with a little Boston Harbor fishing event. This year, Captains Gene Kelly, Tom Koerber, George Whitehead, and Ernie Johansen joined the Draggin' Fly. The night before Captain Bill informed the event coordinator of the forecast for an easterly wind and light rain with heavier rain predicted for later in the morning. However, a check with those who signed up to participate in the event found many wanted to continue as planned. The captains decided to brave the light rain and fish their way to Boston, leaving dock just after dawn. They found a school of big bass working bait in the Inner Triangle just of Spectacle Island. Captain Bill caught 3 fish in three casts including a 34 inch bass on Bass Assassins and the other skippers did equally well. This year, the Draggin' Fly had an old friend Tom DeCapo, Lydia Higgins, and summer intern Audrey Porter as its Team. Tom is an experienced angler who has his own boat in Charlestown and loves top water fishing. Lydia also has fished both salt and fresh water, but Audrey had never fished before. By the time the crew got back to the area of the morning bite, the fish had moved into deeper water and refused to bite. Captain Bill headed back to Quincy Bay. Team Draggin' Fly was the first of the boats to strike with Audrey earning bragging rights by landing the first fish of the tournament, a good size school bass. Action was very solid for much of the morning, but the fish continued to be on the small side. With hour left to fish and looking for the big one, Captain Bill moved to the Inner Triangle to troll tubes and worms. The crew caught a few more fish but not the big one. All boats caught fish and enjoyed their day on the water in Boston Harbor in spite of the weather.

Cap and Paige Vinal of Duxbury joined Captain Bill for a morning of fishing on Thursday. The first stop was somewhat frustrating as several fish were located in the shallow water but refused to eat. Since it was a nice morning, the crew decided to head north and fish some eel grass flats that often produce some nice fish on the outgoing tide. Paige was the first to hit a fish on soft jerk bait worked just over the grass. Her bass was a fat 38 inch fish. On the same drift, Cap hooked a bluefish that managed to bite through the leader at boat side. Paige and Cap raised several more bass and an occasional bluefish as low water began to expose the grass. Just before slack water, Paige brought up a massive fish that exploded on the Bass Assassin close the boat, but never found the hook. The crew headed back to Quincy to fish the incoming water. There they found the bass stacked up along the drop off by some rocks. Paige and Cap kept Captain Bill busy releasing bass from 24-26 inches for the rest of the morning. The Vinals will return to do battle with the fish later in the season.

Friday, an early morning change in strategy had Captain Bill heading to Boston to pick up Andy Olig of Boston and Vinnie Freudenberger of Holliston. Vinnie has fished with Captain Bill many times over the past several years, but this was Andy's first ever experience in the salt. With the prediction of heavy winds for late morning, the crew headed to the North Shore. The ride north was a little bumpy and the Skipper knew that they had a short window pane to fish the grass flats. On the first drift, Andy caught his first bass and Vinnie landed a nice blue. A few more bass were brought up but after charging the lure, the fish backed off. Suddenly, Andy hit a very large bass that exploded on his Bass Assassin and immediately ran off a hundred plus yards of line on a 12 pound rod. The only thing that Andy could do was hold on. Another charter boat working nearby, realize how big this fish was and moved back giving Captain Bill room to maneuver the boat around a nearby rock pile. However, this bass never stopped and managed to reach the safety of the rocks. That was when the line parted…leaving the crew with only a memory and a glimpse of its massive tail. After a few more encounters with bass on the flats, it was time to head back to the Harbor. The seas were much calmer inside, and the crew found many bass in Quincy Bay. Most of the bass were in the 22-25 inch range. Looking for the bigger fish, Captain Bill moved to the Inner Triangle to troll tubes and worms. Several small bass were caught and released when Andy hooked a hot fish that tore line off the reel. To everyone's surprise it was a bluefish…and a big bluefish.

Saturday's charter was rescheduled to make some needed repairs. Friends all jumped in to get the cracked trailer stanchion welded and a frozen caliber replaced. All the work was accomplished with NASCAR precision, and the Draggin' Fly is ready for 14 days of charters in a row.

Zach Silbert of West Roxbury invited friends, Patrick Winn of Methuen and Michael Masdronardi of Saugus to share a light tackle trip on Sunday. The crew started by hunting in Hingham. Yesterday, there had been fish up on the flats by World's End for much of the morning. Today there were a lot of schools of silversides, but only two bass were jumped. In Quincy Bay, the crew found some bass. It was here that Patrick landed his first ever striper. Zach and Michael also caught and released some school-sized bass. At slack high, Captain Bill headed to the airport. There were lots of birds sitting on the water, a sure indication that something happened before the Draggin' Fly arrived. The crew cast Bass Assassins in the shallow water along the airport and Patrick landed another bass. Zach, an experienced kayak fisher, makes tubes and was eager to try them from a boat. Moving out to a little deeper water, the crew put out the Z-tube and almost immediately Zach was tight to a bass. This happened on every troll and Zach's tube with an interesting wire keel out fished Captain Bill's tube 3 to 1. With the tide now dropping it was time to head north to try and locate fish on the eel grass flats that had been good on previous trips. The water was calm and the tide was pulling. However, this morning the bass were not there. Patrick caught his first bluefish on a soft jerk bait fished over the grass. The crew finished the trip trolling Z-tubes and worms in Quincy Bay, catching several more bass before the end of the trip. Zach, Michael and Patrick enjoyed their introduction to Boston Harbor fishing…Zach also has a number of new kayak locations to work.

Sunday was the annual outing for Bob Breen of Holbrook, something that his family has been doing for the past several years. Joining Bob were his daughter Erin of New Hampshire and Jason Dupont of Peabody. When the crew met Captain Bill well before dawn for the ride to the Back River, the weather was beautiful. However, at the River it was a different story. Just as the Draggin' Fly was about to pull away from dock it started pouring. The rain was heavy with some lightning so the crew huddled up in the car to wait it out. Captain Bill was in contact with a friend who was home watching the radar waiting to jump on his own boat. Finally, after a two hour delay, the rain let up enough to push off. It was still drizzling when the crew found their first large school of bass of the day. These fish were feeding on herring, Bob was the first to connect on a Bass Assassin worked quickly across the water much like a popper. Erin hooked up next and her fish was larger. The tide was running strong across the rip and this added to the fight. Erin battle the fish well in tough sea conditions and landed a bass just shy of 36 inches that would be the center of the grill tonight. This blitz lasted for almost an hour and when the bait escaped so did the bass. Hunting the Inner Triangle, the crew found more fish working bait from Lower Middle to Governor's flats. Several times all three anglers were hooked up and fighting bass. This wild scene went on for quite along time. Jason was soon showing the veterans how to raise fish. The sun did not come out until after 9, and then the wind came up. The good news was that there were still plenty of fish! All the fish we caught were loaded with sea lice. It would be a trip that Bob, Erin, and Jason will long remember.

As predicted in last week's report resident bass have begun to take residence in the Harbor and are providing some things exciting shallow water fishing. There were enough big fish available to keep everyone on their toes this week. At times, these big bass were very fussy but this week' guests caught some quality fish.

Stacy and Joe Monroe of Michigan were aboard on Monday for a light tackle trip. The Monroes are avid fresh water fishers and had done their research about fishing in Boston. They wanted to end their visit to Boston with salt water fishing; Stacy was the first to score catching a small bass in 4 feet of water off of Governor's Flats. The next stop in Quincy was more productive with Stacy and Joe each landed their legal sized bass. Several big bass were brought up on Bass Assassins worked slowly on the surface, but these fish evaded the hook. At slack water, Captain Bill decided to explore the approach channels at the airport. And it was Joe's turn to shine. Joe caught and released several bass with the biggest measuring just over 3 foot. And Captain Bill was able to drop off the Monroes downtown in time for them to check out of their hotel and make their flight home with great memories of their first encounters with Boston Harbor bass.

Tuesday was a schedule maintenance day for the Draggin' Fly. Damon Reed of Vermont the inventor of the Fleece Fly was aboard on Wednesday. Damon has a season contract and fishes with Captain Bill every other week usually with his fishing partner John Kieley from New Hampshire, something they have done for over 10 years. Today, John was unable to make the trip so Damon invited senior staff writer/photographer and WATD radio host Ed Novak to join him for a morning on the Harbor. Today was going to be a trip to try a number of new fly patterns. The hunt began in the shallow waters of Quincy Bay. It didn't take very long to locate tailing fish, but these fish were more finicky than they had been in recent days. Damon hit a nice bass just as Ed began his live radio broadcast. The first fish took a new type of soft popper that Captain Bill had designed and the fight was on. When the fish was brought boat side, the hook pulled. After saying his good byes to the audience, Ed was back casting an Assassin and brought up a nice bass on his spinning rod. As the tide began to rise, it was time to explore different waters. Ed and Damon caught and released several more bass on at the airport. They kept a fat 36 inch bass for Mrs. Morrissey who keeps the Captain supplied with fish chowder.

Thursday, Betty Ann Fishman of Manchester by the Sea, Melissa Bronder of Maine, and Mary Smith, the Draggin' Fly's chief mate and Captain Bill's bride were aboard. Captain Bill toured some of Boston's sights before heading to the flats to search for the bass. Captain George of Land Fish Charters gave the crew a tinker mackerel and a BIG pogy that he had caught on a fly. The Skipper who had not used live bait since his commercial days…decades ago…sent the baits into the finger channels at the airport. Within seconds, the mackerel was inhaled by a fish, and Melissa worked a
30 inch bass to the boat for a quick picture and the release. Meanwhile, the pogy was attacked and the fish ran off 50 yards of line before spitting the hook. This happened 6 more times with the same results…the fish spiting the hook. The pogy was now dead so Captain Bill used an old trick and rigged the bait on a leadcore rod. Again and again, fish would attack the bait as it was power trolled. But the fish could not eat this big bait. But just as Captain Bill was deciding to make a change, a fish took the pogy. As Captain Bill took the boat out of gear the fish slowly moved off with the bait and the skipper knew that this was a big fish. Betty Ann grabbed the rod and the fight was on!! This big bas charged away from the boat and changed directions several times. Finally, Betty Ann was able to bring the fish close enough to the boat so that Captain Bill could wrestle it aboard this 40 pound trphy bass. Betty Ann whose husband, Bing, is the North East Rep. for Grady White boats and who is presently recovering from back surgery has bragging rights in the Fishman family…at least until Bing can climb back on the boat. Before returning to dock, this all female crew landed several more bass over legal size.

Friday, Bernie Hamill of Quincy, an experienced fly fisher from Quincy met Captain Bill for a dawn trip. The first stop in Quincy Bay failed to produce much…a few fish were jumped but none showed any interest in what was being offered. However, the Bay was loaded with herring fry so Captain Bill told Bernie that they would return at the top of the tide. The next part of this trip was both exciting and frustrating as some large bass were jumped, but today for the most part, they would only follow Bernie's fly. While Bernie worked a number of different patterns, Captain Bill worked Bass Assassins. Occasionally, a fish would explode on the fly and lure. But Bernie and the Captain could not hook up on the big bass. A few small bass were landed. Captain Bill and Bernie made the run North to Lynn and Nahant. Still not finding the fish they were looking for knew a change was needed. With time running short, it was time to give the shallows for one last short. Back in Quincy, the bass were working the skinny water, and Bernie had some niece opportunities to see and cast to big bass. These fish were very hard to get to take a fly but a few were tricked into eating. There were even a few bluefish in the mix. Bernie caught enough bass on his 8 wt. fly rod to rebook a trip in August.

Saturday, Brian Shura of Norfolk joined Captain Bill for his second trip of the season. Brian has been fishing with Captain Bill since his high school days and this trip was very special. Brian's wife, Kim purchased the trip as Brain's first Father's Day gift. The proud parents gave birth to a new fisherman in April, who will soon become the next generation of Draggin'Fly clients. Today would prove to be a different chapter in Draggin' Fly's fishing adventures. After some days of easy fishing, Brian had to work hard to catch his fish. Some nice bass were jumped at dawn in very skinny water in Quincy. The biggest Brian landed on a soft jerk bait measured 32 inches but several bigger ones were sighted. The bad news was as soon as the light came up these fish were gone. After the dawn bite, Captain Bill found a small pod of school bass off of Moon Head. At slack water the Draggin' Fly headed to the airport where Friday's charter had a blast casting to big fish. This is also where the 40 pound bass was caught on Thursday...BUT there were no fish. A decision was made to head up to the grass flats north of the city and the bass were there. At least until to the wind picked. At the top of the tide, Captain Bill headed back into Quincy to look for the bass that yesterday' charter had found. Today the fish were not there, but Captain Bill found them on another bar just down tide form where they were yesterday. The wind was cranked so Brain did not see the fish until they exploded on his lure. Even in the wind Brain caught several up to legal size.

Frank Farraye of Medfield invited Christopher Leung, Josh Goldman, and Andy Sutton to join him for a light tackle trip on Sunday. As the crew pushed off in the dark, the wind was favorable for hunting big fish in the shallows of Quincy Bay. As Captain Bill instructed the new guests, Frank got to work. On Frank's first cast a large fish came up on soft jerk bait worked slowly over a mussel bed but missed the hook. Several more bass attacked the lures. Each of the crew landed small bass and missed hookups on bigger fish. All action was on Bass Assassin jerk baits. At slack tide, Captain Bill headed to the Inner Triangle to look for surface fish, and on the way the crew jumped another school of bass that were finning on the surface. More fish were found in the approach channels and the bite continued. Andy was the first to boat a big bass on one of Captain Bill's specially rigged shads. After the tide turned and the flood tide started The Draggin' Fly headed to fish the eel grass flats on the North Shore. However, a rain storm forced a hasty retreat back to the shallows of Quincy Bay. There Josh landed the biggest fish of the day, a fat 35 inch fish that clobbered his jerk bait. Several other bass and a few blues were also hooked on surface lures before the wind picked. Frank another trip scheduled this season.

As July winds on, resident bass have begun to settle in here in the Harbor and things are shaping up for some exciting shallow water fishing. There are enough big fish available to keep everyone on their toes. At times, these big bass can be quite fussy and patience and skillful casting is important.

Captain Bill was back on the water after a sort vacation on Monday. Onboard was Draggin' Fly regular, Jay Hoffman of Marshfield who was playing host to Rodney Clark of Mattapoisett and Jim Spinnale of Duxbury. The crew kept their fingers crossed that the wind would not come up. Just after dawn, a school of bass was encountered working herring along Sculpin Ledge. There was a lot of top water action on soft jerk baits for almost an hour. At times all three anglers were hooked up at the same time. This school was a mixture of schoolies and medium size fish. The next stop at the east end of Long Island was equally as good. A large school of bass had bait pinned tight to the shore. The interesting part was that there was not another boat in sight at both areas. At slack water it was time to search for bigger fish. Rod was the first to hook up on a big bass only to have the hook pull. Jay put the first keeper in the boat. Then Rodney landed a fat 32 inch bass. Jim hit a very hot fish that tore line off as it fought across the surface in search of freedom. This fish stretched the tape to almost 36 inches and weighed about 20 pounds. When the wind came up it was time to head back to dock.

Tuesday, Adrian Jackson of Lexington invited friends, Barry and Peter to join him for a light tackle trip. It was an early morning pickup downtown, and on the way, Captain Bill found a small pod of bass off Castle Island. Captain Bill only had a few minutes before he had to be Boston to pick up the crew but that is all he needed. On his first cast, a 30 inch fish attacked the Bass Assassin as it hit the water. By the time, the crew was settled on board, these fish were gone. The crew search throughout the Inner Triangle and found lots of bait but no bass. Moving back into Quincy Bay, some scattered pods of bass were moving around Moon Head and Hang Man's Island. They were difficult to stay on so the crew did best swimming jigs through the water column. A few more bas were taken at the shallow water on a mussel bed including Barry's 29 inch bass, which was released before it was time to head off shore. At Broad Sound, a school of bass had bass chasing herring and a few fish feel victim to soft jerk baits. Once these fish broke up, Captain Bill moved into the shallow water of Revere and found big bass. Adrian was the first to big up a massive fish in 4 feet of water that crashed on his jerk bait and Barry and Peter had several other attacks. The fish won all these battles. After these big fish headed to deep water, smaller bass became more cooperative. At slack water, the crew headed back inside and finished the day fishing catching several more bass at the airport.

Strong winds forced the cancellation of Wednesday's fly fishing trip.

David Deitz of Sharon invited Frank Farraye of Medfield to join him for a trip on Friday morning. David is a very experienced fly fisher who fishes aboard the Draggin' Fly several times a year-something that he has been doing for the last thirteen years. Frank is an expert with the spinning rod and also fishes with Captain Bill several times a year. Pushing off dock before dawn, the crew found huge schools of herring fry in Hingham. However, there were no fish on this bait. In the shallows, Frank connected on his second cast with a two foot bass. On the same drift, Frank raised a large fish that missed his jerk bait but caused a huge commotion on the water. Bass Assassins brought up a few more bass including the first legal sized bass of the morning. As the tide turned and began to flow out, bass began to chase bait in the deeper water along Hospital Shoals. The crew was shocked to discover that the bait was tinker mackerel. This is the latest that Captain Bill has found this particular bait, which usually moves north until the late fall. Both Frank and David managed to catch fish on both flies and soft baits. Tired of trying to keep up with these fast moving fish, the crew decided it was time to return to the shallow water to hunt fish. It did not take long for Captain Bill to find tailing fish. However, the fish proved very difficult to hook. Many, many bass in all sizes followed both lures and flies, only occasionally charging these offerings. Finally, this pattern changed and the bass began to hit jerk baits but not flies. David raised many bass on a Snake Fly and a Crease Fly but could not connect on the long rod. Finally, admitting defeat, David switch to a Bass Assassin on a 10 pound spinning rod and connected with a hot fish. Almost immediately, Frank hooked up on another good sized bass. Frank released a 30 inch fish while David continued to work his 34 inch bass to the boat. Several more bass were brought up before Frank hit another 30 inch bass. The bite lasted until slack low. Frank and David will be back in two days to do duel with these fish in the skinny water.

Saturday, it was a full boat as Draggin Fly regulars, Paul Ponicherta of Hingham, Russell Caruso of Weymouth, and Bob Kizelewicz of Holbrook were ready at dawn for their light tackle trip. They were joined by newcomer, John Murray of Hingham. Wind was light as the crew pushed off of dock. Again this morning the crew found large schools of herring fry in Hingham, and again today there were no fish on this bait. Heading to the shallows, John was the first to raise a bass on his Bass Assassin right at the boat. Paul brought up a good size bass, which also missed the hook. Moving into even skinnier water, Bob connected immediately with a nice bass. On the same drift, Paul landed a two foot bass and Bob hit another legal sized bass. At slack water, the crew found a nice school of bass working herring along Long Island. At first the crew had these fish for themselves, and then the birds caught up to the school along with a large fleet of boats. When the fish were working bait on the surface, soft jerk baits got their attention. When the surface bite ended, Captain Bill showed the crew how to swim jigs through the water column to attract the attention of suspended fish. After a few more bass, it was time to get away from the crowd and found some good sized bass holding in the finger channels by the airport. Paul and Bob both caught and released nice fish before the fish seemed to get lock jaw. Then, Russell hooked a large bass that had no intentions of coming to the boat. This bass grey hounded all over the surface in an effort to regain its freedom. Unfortunately, the fish won the fight when the hook pulled. On the way back to dock, the crew searched the flats and brought up a few more bass. John was the only one to get a hook into a fish. As the wind increased in strength, it became obvious that it would be impossible to sight any fish in the building chop. Paul convinced Captain Bill to take care of the fish until the crew returns for a two day charter in 3 weeks.

It had been only two days since Frank Farraye of Medfield and David Deitz of Sharon had fished the skinny water with Captain Bill. But conditions can surely change in just a few days. Also aboard on Sunday were David's son, Andrew and Mike Madeira of Scituate. Captain Bill explained the wind was going to build all morning. The wind would make sight fishing impossible and limit fly opportunities for David and Andrew. The crew still wanted to give it a try. Even at this early hour the shallow water in Quincy Bay, where Captain Bill has been hunting big bass all week was already chopped up. David and Andrew brought up big fish on the first drift but the fish avoided the hook. A few more bass also swirled on the lures which had to be worked much faster than the skipper likes in order to keep them from getting sucked under by the waves. In the deeper water along Moon Head a small school of bass was working bait, but these proved as difficult to catch as fish in the skinny water. The only option available was trolling. Even this produced only a few fish. However, Mike caught a fat 32 inch bass and Andrew's fish measured just over 34 inches. With the wind continuing to build, it was time to head back to dock. The ride back to the Back River in the 20-25 mph wind was quite bumpy but relatively dry. Frank will return on this coming Sunday seeking revenge.

A new run of bass was pushed into the Inner Harbor on Monday. While Captain Bill attended to some business on shore, Captain Frank and Captain Roger took care of the fish. It was none stop action as the bass chased bait from the eastern end of Long Island out to Ram's Head off of Lovell's Island. These schools feasted on drop back herring and fry of the year. The fish were so hungry that they ate through slack water.

Tuesday, Draggin' Fly regular Frank Sannella of Scituate arranged to meet before dawn to fish his way across the Harbor to pick up some guests in Boston. Stopping to search the Inner Triangle, Frank and Captain Bill found some cooperative bass just off of Spectacle Island and caught some nice fish before it was time to make the Boston connection. Joining Frank were visiting anglers Ken Richmond and Keith Delmarco and John Reimann. By the time, the second part of the crew was picked up in Boston and the Draggin' Fly got back to Inner Triangle, the fish were gone. Today, there were far fewer fish than the previous day. And the ones that the crew found were much more difficult to stay on. However, all managed to catch fish on Sculpin Ledge and during a quick bite at the Deer Island rip. Captain George found similar conditions in the outer islands where the bite also fizzled quickly. Fishing the finger channels at the airport proved to be more successful Keith was the first to score on a big bass when he caught and released a 40 inch bass. Ken was next releasing another legal size bass. John had his chance put the hook pulled on the fishes initial run. At slack tide, the crew headed to Quincy Bay. There they found scattered schools around the bay rather than chase the fish. Captain Bill decided to search the shallows where the crew found plenty of fish. Ken was the first to score on a big bass that exploded on a Bass Assassin close to the boat. As Ken's fish dumped line off the 450 Penn, Keith hooked another bass. Ken's measured 36 inches and Keith's was a bit shorter. Several other fish were taken on soft jerk baits before an approaching storm caused a hasty retreat.

The Draggin' Fly will be back on the water Sunday after the 4th of July Holiday. As more action moves into the shallows, Captain Bill reminds anyone who is interested that there are some open dates available later in the month. Be sure to call early so that you do not miss out on an opportunity to stalk big fish in shallow water.

Sunday, Draggin' Fly regular, Bob Moss of Lexington put together the crew for a light tackle charter. Joining Bob were Vermont anglers Jim Kearns, Craig Young, and Bob Ferguson. The crew kept their fingers crossed that the weather would hold for the morning The first stop in Quincy Bay produced several strikes on soft jerk baits, but the fish managed to avoid the hook Craig did land a bass swimming a jig among suspended fish. The next stop in Dorchester Bay was a little more productive as each angler caught and released bass. Later, a few more bass were caught in the Anchorage. Sized ranged from small schoolies to almost legal sized fish. On a hunch, Captain Bill decided to hunt the shallows of Quincy Bay and this paid off big time. The crew brought up numerous bass on Bass Assassins worked slowly across the water. The catch was caught a mixture of small to medium sized bass, all taken on top water lures. At slack water it was time to search for bigger fish. Bob Ferguson was the first to score with a fat 32 inch bass. His next was just an inch shorter. Bob Moss and Craig caught several bass in the two foot range. Jim hit a very hot fish that tore line off as it fought across the surface in search of freedom. This fish stretched the tape to 37 inches and weighed about 20 pounds. When the wind came up it was time to head back to dock.

Genie and Stan Jennings of Maine traveled south to try their hand at Boston's legendary bass fishing on Monday. At the first stop in Quincy, a number of fish were brought up but missed the hook. A fellow charter skipper called to tell about a surface bite going on in Dorchester Bay. The crew found scattered pods of bass working schools of bait. Genie was the first to score on soft jerk bait, and then Stan got a bass to hit a snake fly. After a few more fish, it was time to check the flats before the tide flattened. Stan hit a nice bass on his fly rod. Meanwhile Genie was bringing up several fish on her Bass Assassin. Many of these fish were sighted as they cruise the shallows. Genie hit a monster bass that tore line off the Penn 450 making it seem like Captain Bill would need to chase it down. However, Genie was able to turn the bass that used its oversized tail to splash water all over the surface. Then, the hook pulled and the battle was over. Within minutes, Stan was tight to another big bass. This fish also charged across the surface, and again the hook just pulled. On slack low tide, the fish that the crew had been sighting seemed to disappear. However, Genie hooked another hot fish in 4 feet of water, and this one was boated. It stretched the tape to over 32 inches. On the incoming, the action continued. The catch was bass in the 24-26 inch range and a six pound bluefish was also landed. Today there was no wind, but the crew had an early day because of the rain coming at them from Boston.

Seasonal clients Damon Reed of Vermont and John Kieley of New Hampshire travel through the night to meet Captain Bill before dawn on Tuesday. Again the weather held. There was no rain and the wind was down. It was another flat day providing a good opportunity to hunt the shallows. The first stop on a mussel bed on the back side of Thompson's Island was very productive. John was fishing a Mush Fly on a special fly rod. A close friend had past away after battling cancer had left a new 7 weight fly rod in John's care. It didn't take long for John to land and release his first fish on this outfit. Before the morning was over, John would land many others including a beautiful 34 inch bass which was photographed and released.

Meanwhile, Damon was experimenting with several of his own flies including an improvement on his famous Fleece Fly. The Draggin' Fly headed to the Sugar Bowl but found plenty of small fish on fry herring along Western Way. Captain Bill was able to stay on these fish and another school of bass in the Sugar Bowl for an hour and a half. Then the crew headed back to Quincy Bay and found another large school at the Bridge. Captain Bill found several big bass in the shallows including a 39 inch bass that Damon caught and released. When the wind kicked up on the tide change, it was time to head to dock.

Damon and Trophy Fly Rod Bass

Wednesday, Guy and Paxton Nichols North Chelmsford of were aboard for their annual light tackle trip. Conditions had changed quickly as a cold front sat over the Harbor. The area had had numerous large thunderstorms pass through the previous night. Unfortunately, this also brought strong northwest winds. The crew worked the same areas that held large numbers of fish the day before but found nothing. Finally, the fish came up enough at the Sugar Bowl for Guy and Pax to catch several before the school broke up. A short time later, the bass once came up in good numbers by Hang Man's Island. However with all the boat traffic, they were difficult to stay on. Pax and Guy used Bass Assassins to land some large school fish. There was just too much wind to sight fish on the shallows so the decision was made to search the Inner Triangle. The crew found fish yo-yoing tight to Deer Island but nearly impossible to catch. Pax managed to land one and got his Bass Assassin chopped in half by a bluefish. Tired of battling the wind, the crew decided to try a little trolling and caught plenty of bass just shy of legal size.

Fly fishers Bob Foley and Karl Jacobson of Boston met Captain Bill before dawn on Thursday. The wind had backed and turned to the south. Today, the fish were once again active working juvenile herring along Western Way. Bob cast a herring imitation and Karl used a Mush Fly to tame several small bass. Then Karl and Bob got into a decent bite in the Anchorage. The fish were larger but moved quickly. There was still too much wind to work the shallows effectively. Drifts were very fast so the crew decided to fish the mouth of the Neponsett River and found some scattered pods of fish. They were also difficult to stay on. At mid-tide, the crew searched the channel by the airport and found some bigger bass. Bob was the first to score on a nice 30 inch bass and his next was 33 inches. After the customary photo, the fish were released to fight again. Karl's fish were smaller but he was not complaining. Before the day was done, Karl had caught and released his big bass a fat 34 incher at hat was loaded with sea lice. It is nice to see that more fresh fish are moving in.

Bob releases a Big Bass

Friday, Peter Gallagher of Norwell was joined by Joe Grabmeier of Hopkinton and Ron Murphy of Duxbury for an early morning light tackle trip. Pushing off at dawn, the crew headed straight to Inner Triangle and found a big school of bass just off of Spectacle Island. On their first cast, Peter and Joe both hooked up on surface jerk baits. As Captain Bill unhooked Peter's bass, Joe indicated that his fish was big. Joe skillfully worked his fish to the boat so that the skipper could grab a fat 32 inch bass. This fish was loaded with sea lice, a strong indication that there was a new rush of fresh fish. As the crew admired Joe's bass, more fish irrupted around the boat and the crew got busy again. Ron soon was tight to a nice bass on a 10 pound rod. These bass decimated a large school of drop back herring and then disappeared. It was time to search the flats for fish. On Deer Island Flats, the crew caught a few schoolies. Moving back inside of Quincy Bay, the crew found several bass in the skinny water. These fish were very finicky…they would follow the lures and refuse to eat. Joe was the first to hook up on a 27 inch bass and then it was Ron's turn. It was another bass just shy of legal size. Peter hit a hot fish that ran line off against the drag. This fish was a very fat 35 inch bass. It seemed that the crew had the fish dialed in and then the fish got lock jaw. The crew brought up fish on most casts that would follow the Bass Assassins and refuse to eat. Oh well, that is fishing!!

Captain's Report
June 22, 2008

It had been exactly a week since Frank Farraye of Medfield had been out with Captain Bill. Joining Frank was Paul Fuller of Walpole. This was Paul's first experience fishing salt water. Dr. Frank has mastered the technique of working soft jerk baits. The trick of fishing this reactionary bait is using the wrist to snap the rod tip so the lure twitches along the surface. Frank will often raise more fish than any other anglers working the same pod of fish. Within minutes of clearing the no wake zone, Frank and Paul were casting to breaking bass. It didn't take long for both anglers to hook up. Action was fast and furious when the bass had the tinker mackerel balled up on the surface. The biggest fish was a very fat 41 inch bass. This bite lasted on and off for almost 2 hours. Before the rain forced a quick retreat back to dock, Frank and Paul found more bass in the Inner Triangle.

Paul with a new friend!

Monday it was a light tackle trip with Jack Fallon, Lance Johnson and his son Justin. These anglers started out from their home in New Hampshire in the middle of the night to meet Captain Bill at sunrise. Within minutes of dock, Captain Bill had won his bet with Lance as he hooked the first bass of the morning. The bite started at Nix's Mate and continue out towards the Brewsters, lasting for over 3 hours. The bass clobbered the soft jerk baits that the crew cast in among the schools of tinker mackerel. Although, the crew had several shots at big bas, it seemed that the faster schoolies always managed to get to the lure first. Jack had the only legal sized bass, and the rest of fish were in the 22-25 inch range. The next stop at Deer Island flats was equally productive but again school sized bass. Captain Bill decided to work the channel edge in hopes of finding bigger bass. This paid off immediately. Lance hit a bass just shy of the 28 inch mark. His next bass let everyone know that this was no schoolie as it doubled over the rod and crashed all over the surface. When Captain Bill grabbed the fish and brought it aboard, the New Hampshire boys could do little to contain their excitement. Lance's bass measured 43 inches. Before the morning was over Justine put another big bass in the boat and lost an even bigger fish.

Lance proudly displays trophy bass!

Tuesday, Dan Shea, a long time friend and tackle rep, brought along Bill Carney of New Hampshire for his annual fly fishing adventure. Although the predicted rain never materialized, there was a strong west wind that made it difficult for these veteran fly rodders to work the long rod. The areas which had been so productive just hours before failed to hold any fish and the mackerel had also disappeared. In the Inner Triangle, the crew found scattered pockets of bass. But these fish proved to be difficult to get on. Captain Bill decided it would be best to work the shallower water. Again, the crew found small pods of bass working herring. Both Dan and Bill managed a few fish on Half' N Halfs worked along the bottom. The last stop in the shallows of Quincy Bay was not very productive. The wind made sight casting impossible. Only two fish were raised drifting over the rocks. It would appear that the fish ate all day yesterday in front of the front.

Draggin' Fly regular, David Deitz of Sharon invited Will Gaines who was in Boston from Texas for business to share his trip on Wednesday. David has been fishing with Captain Bill for over 10 years and charters the Draggin' Fly several times a year. Will fished with the skipper a few years back and had a frustrating trip. Both David and Will brought up some big bass, but most managed to avoid the hook. Again this morning, the wind was blowing hard and the crew would have to fight the wind all morning. Some bass were working bait in the Inner Triangle. David cast a fly into this stiff wind, and Will worked a Bass Assassin among the white caps. Both hit a few schoolies before the tide let go. At the airport, there was less wind and both Dave got into better bass. At low water, the crew searched the channel edge and found some bigger bass. Will was the first to score on a nice 34 inch bass. David's fish were smaller but on his light fly rod he had a blast. Before the day was done, Will had caught and released his trophy bass that weighed in at over 35 pounds and stretched the tape to a little over 43 inches. Will had the chance to experience Boston Harbor's legendary fishing, which David has been telling him about for years.

Will's bass!

The wind finally laid down on Thursday. Frank Sannella and Kevin Callahan of Scituate met Captain Bill before dawn. This was Frank's third trip of the season and Kevin's second. The crew discussed the options of heading to Dorchester to look for the schools of bass that had been there the previous day or hunting the shallows for big bass. Of course, the answer was to fish the skinny water. On the first drift, Frank brought up a monster bass that somehow managed to avoid the hook. This happen a few more times, although the fish were smaller. The next stop at a mussel bed was more productive. Both Kevin and Frank landed some nice bass up to 29 inches working soft baits right over the mussel bed. At slack low water, it was time to explore the airport flats. It didn't take long to find more fish and these were bigger. The crew landed several fish up to 36 inches before the fish moved off into deeper water. With the sun brightly over head, the crew tried several other shallow water areas. Just when they were ready to head back to dock, Kevin hit a nice bluefish. Then the crew began to see bass. These fish were very finicky and proved difficult to hook. The fish would follow the lures almost to the boat before finally turning away in refusal. And these fish ranged from schoolies to heart stopping monsters. Kevin and Frank managed to hook a few fish before the tide let up. It was a very exhausting, but on the way back to dock, Kevin said that this trip was the most fun he has had chasing fish.

Friday, Phil O'Cone of Hingham and Curt Dukeshire of Cohasset were aboard for a light tackle trip instructional trip. Phil and Curt share a 22 foot boat that they keep across the river at Hewett's Cove and were looking for ways to expand their repertoire. The first stop in Quincy produced a nice bass for Curt which measured just shy of 29 inches. A few more fish were brought up on Bass Assassins, but the fish never took the baits. At Lower Middle, the crew had a short bite before the tide went slack. Captain Bill trolled the channels at the airport waiting for the tide to turn. Both Phil and Curt caught several bass, the largest just shy of legal size. With the sun out, it was time to hunt the shallows. On the way, the crew ran into a small pod of bass. Curt and Phil caught some on soft plastic jerk baits before deciding to continue the hunt. Today, there fewer bass on the flats, but the crew saw some big fish before the wind came up. These fish were even finickier than those of the previous day, and Curt hook the only fish. It was a very productive morning.

Brian Shura of Norfolk invited his friends Eric Johnson and Rich to share a light tackle trip on Saturday. Brian has been fishing with Captain Bill since he was in high school. This year Brian became a father and he can not wait to get his new son on the Draggin' Fly. On Brian's second cast got the attention of a nice 30 inch bass. The crew raised a few more bass on jerk baits, but all the fish avoided the hook. Pushing on to the Deer Island flats to catch the end of the out going tide, Brian scored again on his Bass Assassin. At slack tide, the crew found some bass suspended in the channel. Switching to shad body lures, the crew caught and released several bass while waiting for enough water to get back on the flats. It was another day when it seemed that the faster schoolies always managed to get to the lure first. Some big bass had moved into the skinny water on the incoming tide. At first, the fish would just follow the soft baits and turn away at boat side. With more tide, the fish got more aggressive. Eric, a tournament bass angler, seemed to have the action down and brought up fish on almost every cast. Rich missed a very large bass which left a big hole in the water when it missed his lure. As the wind picked, it became impossible to sight the fish. Before calling it a day, Rich managed to hook a 10 pound bluefish that went to the air several times in an effort to throw the hook. It was another good day with plenty of action for all.

Captain's Report
June 8, 2008

Captain Bill returned from Mexico with tales of the wedding and of some nice fish. But it was time to get back to the business of chasing bass. While Captain Bill was away, Captain George and Captain Frank had been keeping the fish company. Both told of a good bite inshore by the airport and on the outside ledges.

Tuesday, June 3rd Chris Monahan and Bruce Gibson were eager to get an early start, but the minus water of the new moon tide kept them at dock later than they like. However, the late start did not seem to phase the fish that were all over the Inner Triangle. Action was fast and furious for almost two hours. Chris and Bruce used Bass Assassins worked among the schools of crashing bass to catch lots of fish up to 31 inches.

The weather was NE for the rest of the week and the Draggin' Fly stayed in.

Saturday, Bob Nelson of Scituate put together the crew for a light tackle trip. Joining Bob were brother-in-law, Matt West and Frank Sannella also of Scituate. Captain Bill headed to the Inner Triangle and just after dawn the first school of bass was encountered. For an hour, the crew had these fish to themselves. The fish were not easy to hook because they were keyed in on herring. The birds soon began to work the bait, and this attracted a fleet of boats. Unfortunately, with the bass chasing herring, you had to either follow the bait or work deeper pockets for holding fish. Shad jigs worked at times, but it was slow going. It was time to explore new waters. On a hunch, Captain Bill decided to explore the shallow waters of Quincy. The water was warmer here and there were pogies nearby. Within moments, the crew began to see fining fish. Matt a professional photographer had the eye for finding these fish among the rocks. The crew was able see big bass and cast jerk baits. However, the fish ignore most offerings and only followed others. Bob finally hit a hot fish that tore line from his reel like a runaway train. After a nice fight, Bob managed to get the fish boatside before it jumped above the water. It was only then that the crew realized that Bob had himself a nice 12 pound bluefish. This was the earliest that Captain Bill has ever remembered catching a bluefish in the Harbor. As the wind increased, the fish moved off the flats. It was time to head home.

Sunday, Frank Farraye of Medfield invited Mike O'Brien of Hingham to join him. Within minutes of leaving the no wake zone of the Back River Frank and Mike were casting to breaking fish in Hingham. While Frank used a Bass Assassin to catch his fish, Mike used swimming jigs worked just below the surface. This bite lasted almost an hour. The next stop by Moon Head was not as productive because the fish were moving quickly on herring. Here the best tactic was working jigs. After talking with a few people in Lower Middle who said that it was a real zoo there with boats running and gunning, Captain Bill convinced the crew to try the shallows. In Quincy, just down from where Captain Bill had fished the incoming tide on Saturday, the crew found a bunch of big bass. Once again, they were not easy to hook, but Frank and Mike managed to take 6 over 30 inches including a 36 and a 38 inch fish. Frank found that if he worked his lure really slow with a side-to-side action the fish became more interested. Several others missed the hook. It was really exciting fishing as all the fish came on Bass Assassins worked in shallow water. At slack water, the crew found similar conditions at Bass Rock. Frank caught a 44 inch that weighed 35 pounds. It was big, fat, and loaded with lice. Once the wind came up, we lost them and headed in.

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