Captain's Report
August 28, 2010

Week of Transition
Harbor fishermen are waiting for the striper fishing to turn back after this week's Nor'easter. It is hard to imagine how quickly this weather changed the fishing! The huge schools of tiny spike mackerel that were found throughout the Harbor have not been seen since the big blow.

Hurry Up and Wait
After an unbelievably stretch of great weather this summer, this period of stormy weather has Harbor regulars thinking "Fall". September should bring better days and better fishing for us all. Over the next several days, conditions will stabilize and make for more memorable outings, as the striped bass change their attitude and start feeding hard as they begin their migration south.

Sunday, Frank Farraye of Medfield was aboard looking to target big bass. The first stop in the shallows looked promising, as Frank had a large fish blow up on his soft plastic jerk bait in 2 feet of water. It's hard to believe that this fish missed the hook. However, Frank and the Skipper know that this often happens when a big bass opens its mouth, filling it with water. Although the attack is savage, the water can push out the lure before the hook penetrates. Frank landed a few small bass before Captain Bill moved into deeper water to look for feeding fish. This morning, it took a little bit of time to get on the fish, and once it's started the bite lasted for over two hours. Frank and the Skipper caught
and released numberous bass up to 34 inches all coming on the surface on 7 inchBass Assassins. Several big ones were jumped, but they were more difficult to tag. These fish were on spike mackerel and were quick moving. Captain Bill had to keep repositioning the boat to incept the fish and this was a difficult because of the other boats working the school. One clueless individual trolled right through the middle often right over areas where others were casting. Once the school broke up, Captain Bill headed to Nantasket Roads were a friend had been catching a mixture of bass and blues for much of the morning. However, a school of fish was encountered just outside of Hull Gut. This proved to be a good diversion because it was here that Frank landed a 45 inch cow. He also had several others in a 3 foot range before the tide let go. Then the rain came, signaling an end to the day. Frank will be out two more times this week, once more targeting trophy bass.

Three days of charters were cancelled because of the Nor'easter that plummeted the local waters. Monday, the wind blew over 25 knots with gusts of over 30. There was also driving rain at times. Tuesday the wind let go a little but it was still coming out of the east with gusts over 20 knots. The seas were big and confused…not a day to take a fly fisher from Colorado, who will return home without experiencing the 'Lure of Boston Harbor' ! Wednesday the storm was predicted to be way out to sea. The forecast was wrong…the storm backed in from the ocean, and the rain was worse than the previous days.

The Draggin' Fly was finally back on the water on Thursday. And onboard were Vinnie Freudenberger of Holliston and his two guests, Ron Reilly of Falmouth and Bruce McClure of New Hampshire. The crew found that things had changed after three days of strong Northeast wind and heavy rain. Today, there was little bait in the harbor: the spike mackerel, silversides, and herring had disappeared. In over two decades of professional guiding in the Harbor, the Skipper had never seen such a radical change occur so quickly. Captain Bill tried several shallow water areas without any luck before heading to the Inner Triangle. Even here, there was no bait and no fish. The only area that held bait was Hull Bay. However the bait was deep and so were the fish! Bruce was the first to hook up on a bass using a Vivif jig. Switching over to jigs, a few more bass were caught and released before Bruce hooked a heavy fish that took a lot of line against a strong drag. Once the fish got into the rip, Bruce had his hands full. Just as the Skipper fired up the engine to go after the fish, the line went slack. The crew thought that the line had broken, but when the line was retrieved, the answer was apparent. A big bluefish had bitten through the 30 pound flourocarbon leader. A few more school bass were caught and released before the crew lost the tide and called it a day... a slow day.

Friday, Draggin' Fly regulars David Deitz and Frank Farraye met Captain Bill before dawn. However, engine problems had the Draggin' Fly back at dock before the trip even got started. A quick trip to G&S Marine in Buzzards Bay and the problem was diagnosed. The oil sensor kept the engine in protected mode to guard against low oil pressure, but the pressure check out perfect. It was the oil sensor that failed. The G&S crew secured a new sensor and the Draggin' Fly was on her way within an hour. No one can ask for better service than this!!

Saturday, Vinnie Freudenberger of Holliston was once again aboard joined by Bob Hennessy of Hanover. Today, the crew was fishing the Help Hook the Cure Derby http://helphookthecurederby.onesite.com sponsored by the Winthrop Elks. This event helps to raise thousands of dollars for Team Fox, the Michael J. Fox's charity whose goal is to find a cure for Parkinson's disease. Captain Bill is a major supporter of this tournament. Team Draggin' Fly pushed off of dock before dawn to begin the hunt for big bass and oversized bluefish. The crew struck out at the first spot, but Vinnie raised a big fish at the next location in Quincy Bay. On the same drift, the Skipper also raised a smaller fish but neither took the hook. Vinnie finally broke the ice fishing a Vivif jig in a little deeper water. However, this was not the size needed to score in the tournament so it was time to explore. Captain Bill tried Hull but today no stripers were holding in the rips. Both Bob and Vinnie took sea bass on their jigs …at least the crew had dinner. The Skipper tried off shore which had held monstrous bluefish before the blow, but not a fish was found. Today, all the other boats were experiencing the same slow conditions. Captain George was up on the North Shore and he found the same, nothing! Back inside of Hull, another sea bass was taken on a jig and a small lobster. It was time to admit defeat and head to dock. While Team Draggin' Fly did not find the "big one" to place in the Help Hook the Cure Derby, the crew certainly gave it their best efforts. Few of the Derby winners came from the Harbor; most were caught in the surrounding waters North and South of the Harbor…all were caught on pogies!

Tuesday, Suzanne Hennessy of Newton arranged an afternoon trip for her cousin Henniy Neumeister who is visiting from Holland. This was an afternoon trip so Captain Bill decided to start in the Outer Islands and then work his way back inside with the tide. Just east of the Graves, a school of bluefish was found attacking bait. Henny an accomplished fresh water fisher learned quickly how to work a popper. Within minutes, Henny was tight to his first bluefish, a nice 10 pounder. Meanwhile, Susan was content to watch the melee until the Skipper hooked up a hot fish and passed the rod. Susan was now hooked on fishing. The crew stayed with these blues for almost 2 hours, without another boat in sight. Henny and Susan caught and release several jumbo blues up to 12 pounds before the school finally broke up. The Draggin' Fly headed back inside. The action was certainly not as good as the Skipper has been experiencing on the Dawn Patrol but the crew caught a few nice bass up to 34 inches on Governors Flats before heading back to dock. It was a great afternoon of fishing in Boston Harbor. Henny has plenty of great photos and memories of his "Harba" adventure.

Wednesday, Captain Bill traveled across the harbor to pick Bart Margoshes of Pennsylvania and his teenage son, Nate. The Margoshes were in Boston to visit some perspective colleges and decided to combine this trip with a little fishing. Captain Bill fished his way to Boston for the 6:15 AM pick up and caught bass at two different locations.After picking up the crew, Captain Bill headed back through the Narrows and saw a sky filled with birds by Boston Light. On the first cast, Nate was hooked up to a strong fish that inhaled his Bass Assassin as soon as it hit the water. Bart made it a double. These were big blues fresh from the open water and were really aggressive.For the next three hours Bart and Nate battle bruiser blues, which strained the 12 pound spinning tackle that they were using. The Skipper was kept very busy releasing bluefish up to 14 pounds. At one point Nate hooked a big bass that pulled the hook boat side. Once these fish broke up, Captain Bill headed inside to look for bass... and yes, he found some nice ones. These fish were aggressive and attacked the soft plastic jerk baits that Bart and Nate worked along the face of the rip. Captain Bill is betting that Nate might just decide to attend a college near Boston.

Nate's first blue.

Thursday, long time charter Gerry Feeley of Marshfield along with Jay Bourgeous of Beverly and Bill Sutherland of Waltham met Captain Bill at dawn for their annual "Harba Bash". It didn't take long for the crew to begin their battle with stripers. On the first drift Gerry landed a nice bass just shy of 30 inches on a 7 inch Hogy stick the bait. Bill was next up and his bass attacked a Bass Assassin that he was working along 4 feet of water. Several other bass were brought and attacked the jerk baits before the fish moved out of the shallows and into the deeper water. When the fish are in the skinny water, there were no birds on them, but once they get into the deeper water, their movements are tracked closely by big flocks of birds. It was nearly impossible to get on these fish once the sun came up. They were moving around quickly and the birds attracted a fleet of boats. Captain Bill decided to head into Quincy Bay and found a much larger school. These fish were a little easy to stay…but today, easier was a "relate term"! The crew caught several school fish before the fish broke up. At the turn of the tide, the Draggin' Fly headed to the Inner Triangle where the crew witnessed something that the Skipper hadn't seen in almost 20 years, massive schools of spike mackerel swimming undisturbed and not a bass was on this bait. Captain Bill headed off shore, but today there were no bluefish and very few bass. Gerry did pick up a bass on a white popper. Back inside Quincy Bay, the crew picked a few more bass on Vivif jigs and Bass Assassins before was time to head back to dock.

Friday, Paul Shaffer and two of his sons, Alex and Jim traveled from
Connecticut for the annual Boston Harbor trip, and they were not disappointed. Within minutes of clearing the wake zone, the crew was casting to hungry bass. Jim was the first to hook up with a nice bass that inhaled his Bass Assassin he was working in shallow water. Alex was next up; his fish was a bluefish, the first chopper caught in this shallow water by any Draggin' Fly guests. As the sun came up, the fish moved into the deeper water and action really heated up. Today, these fish were much easier to stay on than the previous day, partly because the Draggin' Fly was the only boat fishing this area.

At one time all three Shaffers were hooked up with bass over 30 inches. This bite lasted for over an hour. Moving into Quincy Bay, the crew was into bass again. These fish were harder to stay on because of the fleet of boats working the school. However, the crew caught and release several bass before the tide let go. At slack water, the Skipper headed to the Anchorage with the plan to bait up with mackerel and head back inside to fish them. It took only 15 minutes to get a couple of dozen of spike mackerel. Back in Quincy Bay, every one of these baits were devoured by aggressive bass. Paul, Alex, and Jim caught more bass in one morning, than they ever had before. All were released except two destined for the grill.

Saturday, Paul Ponicherta of Hingham put together the crew for a light tackle. Paul is an avid light tackle enthusiast and fishes with the Draggin' Fly several times a year. It was a full boat as Paul's son Eric of Scituate, Bruce Person of Sheffield and Andy Reed were along for this trip. The crew pushed off of dock before dawn. The first fish did not come the first drift but on the second. Bruce was the first to hook a nice bass, and Paul was right behind him. Just on
schedule, the fish came up in the deeper water, and for a few moments, the

Bruce's dawn bass

crew had them all to themselves.Paul, Eric, and Bruce were fighting keeper sized bass that took both Hogy stick baits and Bass Assassins worked along the surface. As the fish became more active, they attracted a lot of birds and the attention of several boats. The crew was able to catch more fish, but the growing fleet made it difficult for Captain Bill to position the boat. The pressure of the fleet also broke up to school. Once the birds disappeared so did the fleet, which headed into Quincy Bay where there was another bite. However, Andy proved that the fish were still there as he hooked a nice fish on a stick bait, and Eric raised several others. Then the crew began to see more fish, often without any birds... and they had these fish all to themselves for the next hour. Two of these bass were kept for the Ponicherta cookout and the rest were released. When the tide let go, this Skipper gave the crew the choice of heading to the Inner Triangle to jig mackerel for bait or going offshore for bluefish. The vote was to bait up, but as a Draggin' Fly began the turn into Boston, Captain Bill saw an approaching LNG tanker. The Coast Guard was in the process of closing off the Inner Harbor to allow for passage of this vessel. Plans changed to bluefish. Just off Harding's Ledge, the first pod of blues was jumped, and Eric hooked up a powerful fish. When he got the fish boat side, Captain Bill used Boga Grip to grab a nice 10 pound blue. This area was just too crowded for the Skipper so after this fish, he decided to head to the Nantasket Beach where the crew jumped a nice school of fish. At one time, the entire crew was hooked up to blues from 10 to 12 pounds without another boat in sight. During the next blitz, Bruce hooked a big chopper that burnt line off the reel. When he finally worked the fish back to the boat after several other runs, Captain Bill made the grab on a 14 pound blue. It was exciting morning of bass and blue fishing for the crew. Paul has one more trip scheduled for late September.

Eric with nice blue

Captain' Report
August 14, 2010

Larger bass have moved into many of the bays producing explosive top-water action. These bass are covered with sea lice, a sure sign that these fish have just moved in from deeper offshore water. There have been surface blitzes in this week. There is plenty of bait, herring and silversides, throughout the numerous bays and rivers in the Harbor which will continue to attract bass.

Sunday, David Deitz of Canton was joined by his son, Andrew of Boston for a morning of fly fishing. Father and son are accomplished fly fishers who fish with Captain Bill many times during the year. The first stop in the shallows produced several nice bass. Andrew hooked up on his second cast in 2 feet of water. David was casting one of his oversized Gurglers, and he brought up a very large bass that missed the hook. After this bite, the crew jumped a few more bass in Quincy Bay. Both David and Andrew switched to large Clousers to match the bait that these fish were on. The trick to catching these fish was long powerful strips of line. Once more boats got on these fish, it became too crowded for the Skipper. The next stop in the Inner Triangle was even worse... several boats were running and gunning and others were trolling through the fish. Captain Bill decided to head offshore. The crew found scattered fish in Broad Sound, but these fish were up and down too quickly for the crew to get their flies into them. The decision was made to head south and look for bluefish. There were plenty of bait and big blues along Nantasket Beach. However, the wind had picked up to a steady 20 kts with gusts to almost a 30. David decided that there was just too much wind for his fly rod and switch to a spinning rod. Andrew would not give it up and stayed with the long rod. While David landed several large blues up to 15 pounds on poppers, Andrew managed to get his hook into two monsters of his own. Both shot right through his fly line and got into his backing before Andrew could get them under control. With the wind building, it was time to head back to dock. Both David and Andrew will be out again during the week for the next battle.

Monday, Vinnie Freudenberg of Holliston was aboard for his third trip of the season. Joining Vinnie was his teenage son, Harrison. The crew pushed off at dawn and headed to the shallows to catch the first part of the incoming tide. Again this morning, the Draggin' Fly started in the shallows just off the River. And again this morning, big fish were cruising this skinny water. Harrison was the first to hook up when a 30 inch bass crashed the Bass Assassin that he was twitching in the skinny water. Vinnie was next on a similar sized fish. This scene was repeated several times until the sun came out and the fish disappeared. With the tide pulling, it was time to explore. At the next stop in Quincy Bay, the crew jumped a few more bass. Captain Bill saw flocks of gulls working in Hull Gut and hurried to investigate. The crew found lots of bass in the rip. Both Vinnie and
Harrison doubled up several times.

However, the birds soon attracted a large fleet of boats and with the rip roaring, it was just too crowded. The decision was made to move inside. While heading to the Inner Triangle, a large school of bass was seen working in the Anchorage. Again, Vinnie and Harrison were into some nice fish on Bass Assassins. The arrival of a large LNG tanker put an end to this bite. The Coast Guard closed the area to all traffic to allow for the passage of the tanker. Pushed back inside, the crew was into more bass. The biggest fish of the trip was Vinnie's 38 inch linesider. Father and son had a great morning on Boston Harbor and Vinnie is already planning his next trip in late August.

Tuesday, Jessica Moroney of Brookline and her friend Sticky of Lowell met Captain Bill well before dawn. The plan was to stalk big fish in skinny water before the sun came up. The first stop failed to produce much more than a few follows. At the next stop, the crew jumped some big fish in 3 feet of water. Jessica hooked a small bass and then a bigger fish, which jumped clear out of the water before biting through the mono leader. The entire crew got a chance to see this monstrous bluefish. Jessica's next fish was a 35 inch bass. Several other fish came up for the Bass Assassins but missed the hook. Sticky landed another bluefish before the fish disappeared as the sun came up. A move further into the Bay produced a few small bass. Fishing the rip at Hull Gut was difficult on the Skipper with the boat traffic and the roaring current. But... and it's a big but...the rip was loaded with bass. Jessica and Sticky caught several bass working soft jerk baits on top of the rip. As the fleet continue to grow, it was time for the Draggin' Fly crew to look for calmer are waters. However, it was now 8:00, and the scattered pods of fish in the Inner Triangle were getting hammered by a large fleet of boats. Captain Bill headed offshore. Stopping by a few birds in the deep water off Nahant, the crew saw several swirls. At first, the Skipper thought that these were bluefish, but Jessica soon hooked a nice bass on a popper. Meanwhile Sticky had a battle on his hands when he hooked a big bass on a Hogy Stick bait. This bass was over 36 inches. Jessica took several more bass on her popper before the fish were lost. The crew headed back inside to finish their trip in Quincy Bay among crashing bass. Two bass were taken for the grill, and the rest were released. Jessica
promises to return to do battle in the fall.

Jessica fights big fish.

Wednesday, fly fishers Andrew and David Deitz were aboard for this second trip of the week. Today the plan was to target large bass in skinny water so the crew pushed off of dock well before dawn. And sometimes plans work out! On the first cast, David hooked a big bluefish on a Beastmaster fly fished behind a cone of foam. This bruiser blue leaped clear out of the water. David's next fish was a monster bass. The exciting part was that David and Captain Bill spotted the fish in 2 feet of water, and David made a perfect cast. After one strip of the line, the bass turned and attacked the fly. Unfortunately David failed to check his leader after the bluefish. The leader parted and the big bass had her freedom. A close inspection of the broken leader showed that the leader was nicked during the earlier bluefish attacked. Meanwhile, Andrew's Snake Fly got the attention of several bass, which tracked on the fly but refused to hit. The crew saw several other big bass cruising the shallows, but none could be turned. Once the sun came up, these fish disappeared, and it was time to explore. Captain Bill headed to Hingham where he had caught a bunch of fish on previous trips. The crew found massive balls of bait but no fish. In Quincy Bay, a small pod of bass was jumped and both David and Andrew hooked up at the same time on bass. David was fishing the surface and Andrew was fishing subsurface. After a few more fish, this group disappeared. Back inside Hingham, the bass found the bait that the crew had seen earlier. David uses a special blend of synthetics to tie his Clousers, and these bass loved that fly. Two fish were kept for a dinner that Andrew was planning, and all others were released. The biggest fish of the day was just shy of 3 feet.

Thursday, Dan Fallon and Brian McLaughlin of New Hampshire along with Guy Nichols of Chelmsford were aboard the Draggin' Fly for their annual light tackle trip. As is the custom, these anglers make friendly wages on the first fish and the biggest fish. Again this year, Captain Bill was designated as the official referee. The game plan was the same as the previous days... hunting the shallows before dawn. And it didn't take long to find the fish. Kevin was the first to hook up and the take was incredible. As Kevin twitched a Bass Assassin on top of the skinny water, a massive fish exploded on it. Kevin hung on as the fish made a substantial first run against the drag. This scene was repeated again and again. But each run was progressively smaller. When Kevin had the fish near the boat, it leaped clear out of the water, and the crew saw one of the biggest bluefish that Captain Bill had ever seen. Before the Skipper could grab the monster blue with his Boga Grip, the fish bit through the 30 pound leader... what a fish and water a battle! Guy won the $1 bet for the first fish landed. A few more fish were jumped before the sun came up and the fish moved out. Captain Bill headed to Quincy Bay where a nice school of bass had bait pinned along a sand bar. Dan hooked up immediately, and Kevin was right behind. Guy missed making it a triple when his hook pulled. For the next hour, the crew hammered these fish all on plastic jerk baits. The biggest bass was 34 inches, but several of the others were over 30 inches. After the tide turned and began to move in through Hull Gut, the crew was into bass again. Unlike the earlier bite, the Draggin' Fly was not alone. Yet, even though a small fleet worked these fish, the school stayed together for two hours. During this amazing bite, Guy, Dan, and Kevin caught and released more bass over 30 inches than on any recent trip. The biggest fish were over 36 inches. Kevin earned bragging rights for the biggest bass of the day.

One of many caught and released by Dan and crew.

Friday, Bob Hennessy of Hanover met Captain Bill well before dawn. This morning in the shallows there were numerous small bluefish, which attacked the soft plastic baits that Bob and the Skipper were using. The water was also high and the Skipper prefers low water conditions so he decided to look elsewhere for bass. Captain George called from Quincy Bay, and he had a nice school of bass. For a short time, Captain George and the Draggin' Fly had these fish to themselves. However, the birds soon brought in the fleet. Captain Bill tried to stay away from the other boat by staying away from the birds and fishing the shallower water. Bob caught several big bass on Bass Assassins. As the tide began to bottom out, the fish moved out of this area and began to hold in deeper water. Captain Bill showed Bob how to swim a Vivif jig, and he caught a couple of more fish before slack tide. This would be a lesson well learned for later in the trip. At low tide, Bob and the Skipper headed back to the shallows to see if they could find any fish. The Skipper hooked up a nice fish, but the line broke, leaving the crew wondering if was a bluefish.

Bob had the answer when a fish grabbed his Bass Assassins and ran off 50 yards of line. After another big run Bob was able to work the fish back to the boat, and they had the answer... a nice 40 inch bass. After a quick photo, Bob revived the bass and released it. Several other bass were brought up and followed the Bass Assassins. However, they refused to eat. The inside bite did not get started until mid- morning, and it was nowhere near as intensive as the past few days. However, Captain Bill had Bob switched technique to swimming a jig, and he was constantly on fish while none of the other boat connected. It was another great morning of light tackle fishing of Boston Harbor.

The release of another big bass!

Captain's Report
August 7, 2010

Sunday, fly fishers Charley Fortier and Wayne Perry of East Bridgewater met Captain Bill before dawn. While heading to the Inner Triangle, the crew found a big school of bass just outside the entrance of the harbor. At first, there was only one other boat, but that would change over the course of the morning. Almost immediately, Wayne hit a big fish that put a serious bend on his nine weight fly rod and then ran right through the fly line and into the backing. This proved to be a great fly rod fish that was photographed, measured at almost 40 inches, and then release. Wayne who likes to fish light leaders lost his next fish and that fly when his tippet parted. Meanwhile, Charley was hot, catching and releasing several bass on an epoxy head fly. For the first hour, the bait was
(Wayne's fly rod bass) juvenile herring that was dropping out of the harbor, trying to make an escape to the sea. Then, large schools of tinker markerel pushed in from off shore. Captain Bill explained to Wayne and Charley that this bait was most likely chased in by the bluefish and tuna that were a few miles offshore. The bass became a little more difficult to catch as they were keyed into the mackerel. Also, a growing fleet made it much more difficult to stay on the fish. However, Charlie and Wayne had a steady pick and most of the fish were in the 26 to 30 inch range. At the bottom of the tide, it was time to explore the shallows back inside. Charley landed a nice bass and a small bluefish was also boated. With the tide beginning to move, the crew headed off shore where they got into another major blitz of bass. However, these fish proved very difficult to catch. Wayne and Charlie each landed a few more bass before the school broke up. It was time to head back to dock after a great morning up top water bass action.

Monday, Phil Strazzula of Scituate invited his oldest son, Philip of Brookline to spend the morning fishing for bass in Boston Harbor. The bite started just after dawn at the entrance of the shipping channel. Today, the bass were attacking schools of tinker mackerel that had been pushed in from offshore. At first, there were only a few boats, but the fleet would grow over the morning. However, this morning most of these were well behaved and the school stayed together for hours. Philip was the first to connect with a good sized bass. Dad was next. This scene was repeated for most of the morning. At times, both Phil and his son were hooked up at the same time. All action came on Bass Assassins worked on the surface. After the bass decimated the mackerel, the schools moved into the Inner Harbor and got on herring. This was the longest surface bite of the year, and it was August 2nd. The crew finished the trip, stalking the shallows. Philip hooked a very hot fish that Captain Bill thought was a bluefish, and this soon confirmed when Philip finally worked it to the boat. Phil was next to hook up, but this fight was short lived as the blue cut through the fluorocarbon leader. Captain Bill hated to change over to bluefish tackle because the crew was seeing bass. Again, Dad got his hook into a big fish. This one fought differently than the blues, going deeper and moving parallel to the boat. Both Phil and the
Skipper thought it was a big bass until it leaped
from the water. Then everyone knew that Phil had (Mix & match with the Strazzula's) a monstrous bluefish. After Captain Bill made a grab with the Bogar Grip, this fish measured over 3 feet long. Today was a split decision: the younger Philip caught the largest bass and Phil got the biggest bluefish.

Tuesday, Jay Hoffman of Marshfield, invited Jim Horner of Braintree and Derrick Gillis of Plymouth to share a light tackle trip. The weather was calling for strong south west winds to build all morning. So Captain Bill told the crew that this might be a shot trip. Today, there was no dawn bite. It seems that the fish slept in… but when the fish got going, the action was fast and furious. Jay was the first to connect and then it was Jim's turn. Meanwhile Derrick, an avid fresh water fisher learned a different way to work soft plastic jerk baits, and he was soon on the hook. Several times during the morning, the entire crew was hooked up at the same time, keeping the Skipper very busy. At mid- tide, the fish moved outside and got on the mackerel. The wind and waves were much milder so it was easier to stay on these fish. The bite lasted for over an hour and a half, and then the fish moved back inside. The wind in the Anchorage was making for very sloppy conditions. After a few more fish, Captain Bill announced that I was time to head back to dock. Although no monster fish were landed, Jay hooked one only to have the hook pull. This fish had all the advantages: strong current, 3 foot waves, and 25 knot winds... the odds were stacked against Jay and the fish won. The crew returned to dock with many fish tales and some bass for the grill.

Ron and Barbara Guagenti were in Boston from Chicago to catch a week of the Red Sox. Ron, an avid fisher , who loves to chase almost anything that swims in freshwater booked Wednesday's charter trip to see Boston from another perspective and catch some striped bass. Based on the fishing the day before, the pickup was later than Captain Bill's dawn start. Yet, the bite was already going on when the Draggin' Fly got out to the entrance of the shipping channel. On the first cast, Ron caught a 37 inch bass on a Bass Assassin, not a bad introduction to Harbor fishing. This set the stage for the rest of the morning. Ron and Barbara were quickly learned the striper dance, as these strong fish took them all over the boat! For more than four hours, Ron and Barbara kept the Skipper busy releasing bass, and these were bigger than on the previous trip, with many over 30 inches.Ron's biggest was almost 40 inches. (Ron knows that there is more to experience in Boston than the Sox's) When the crew tired of casting jerk baits, Captain Bill switched them to poppers. Ron soon learned why Captain Bill prefers soft baits, as the bass crashed in chases popper, but it was very difficult to get to hook into them. Ron told the Skipper that these fish needed glasses! Ron and Bob enjoyed their stay in Boston, the Red Sox wins, and their "Harba" adventure.

Thursday, long time Draggin' Fly client and friend, Damon Reed of Vermont was aboard. Damon is an expert fly fisher and innovative fly tyer. Today, Captain Bill was back on his pre-dawn start. Damon was on bass within minutes of clearing the no wake zone of the Back River. These fish were big and hard to get a hook into. Damon used one of his own patterns called the Fleece Fly. Damon designed his fly to imitate the action of jerk bait. After several bass, Damon hooked a big fish that broke his leader and departed with his fly. Unfortunately, this is the only Fleece Fly that Damon had packed. Captain Bill offered Damon a Gurgle, but this offer was politely refused. Damon used a Big Eye Deceiver to catch a few fish. But most of the action was on the surface. Finally, Damon tied on a Gurgle and he was now hooked on this pattern. Action was non-stop for almost 4 hours and many of the fish were over 30 inches. The biggest was 39 inches, which Damon revived and released. Damon will return
(Damon's fly rod bass) again next month for his next battle with harbor bass.

Friday, Bob Martin of Pembroke joined Captain Bill for an early morning light tackle trip. Bob had only fished the salt one other time and that was a bottom fishing trip. He had heard tales about Harbor bass fishing and wanted to experience it firsthand. It didn't take long for Bob to connect with his first bass, and this bite continue for almost 45 minutes. All action was on Bass Assassins worked erratically on the surface. Before heading off-shore, Bob landed several bass over 30 inches with the biggest pushing 3 feet. A call from a fellow charter skipper had the Draggin' Fly into big bass again. Although no trophy fish were landed, Bob had several opportunities to hook one, but the fish were not interested in his jerk bait. After the tide turned and began to drop, bluefish made their appearance. These fish were big and extremely aggressive. Captain Bill quickly switch over to bluefish tackle and Bob was into his first bluefish. Bob had never seen blues attacking surface lures and was mesmerized by the savageness of the attacks. Several bruisers were landed before it was time to head back to dock. Bob has many tales to tell about his "Harba" adventure.
(Not bad bass for Bob's first)

Monday's predicted strong Northwest winds would make for too difficult conditions for even today's veteran fly fishers, Larry Davidson and PG Harrison from Maine. Rather than have these guests make the four hour run to Boston only to find the conditions unfishable, this trip was reschedule to later in the season. A friend of the Skipper, Captain Frank on his boat, One Step Closer said that there were fish, but the winds and seas made for impossible fishing conditions. Captain Bill made the right decision.

Tuesday, Adrian Jackson of Lincoln invited Leigh Bosture of Boston, Vinnie Freudenberg of Holliston, and Rob Bonner of Scituate to share a light tackle trip. After picking up the crew in Boston, Captain Bill headed off shore. As the Draggin' Fly cleared the no wake zone at Castle Island, there were several big bait balls on the surface, but no fish were on the bait. Just outside the beginning of the main shipping channel, the crew found a good concentration of fish. However, there was also a big fleet of boats working the school…some were trolling, some were wire line jigging, and others were casting. Captain Bill did his best to position the boat in front of the fish and away from harm's way. Adrian was the first to hook up and then Vinnie was next. This school of fish was difficult to stay on, but the crew did as well as any nearby boat. All action was on Bass Assassins worked erratically on the surface. Then bluefish made their appearance known… first by shredding the plastic baits and then the crew watched as Leigh's big blue leaped almost 3 feet out of the water. Captain Bill with the assistance of his first mate, Vinnie, changed the gear over to popping plugs rigged on wire leaders. However, as quickly as the bluefish invaded the waters, they disappeared... it was time to switch back to soft jerk baits. While Rob and Vinnie hooked school sized bass, Adrian raised a monster right by the boat but this cow missed the hook. Leigh, though quiet, landed the biggest fish of the trip, and Vinnie, a good mate that he is, offered to grill it up. Back inside the bite in the in the Inner Triangle failed to materialize so was time to head back to Boston.

Wednesday, Betty Ann Fishman of Manchester By The Sea, returned to search of another trophy bass. Betty Ann caught a 50 pound fish two years ago while fishing with her all women crew aboard the Draggin' Fly. Her photo still graces the home page of www.fishboston.com. This year her husband Bing, well known in the marine industry for his work with Grady White boats, joined her. Since the bite in the Inner Triangle had been happening from mid-tide to high water, the Skipper decided to wait until after dawn to push off. This might not have been not the wisest decision…the crew got into the end of a bite at Nantasket Roads, which looked liked it had gone on for quite awhile. The crew managed to get the hook into a nice bass and missed a few others. Off shore the bite was much slower than it has been, but Betty Ann managed to get a big bluefish to the boat without having it bite through the fluorocarbon leader. Captain Bill worked all along the coast, almost to the Fishman's home waters, before heading back to Inner Triangle. There was still a lot of bait, both on the surface and throughout the water column. Terns were working all over the water, but the fish were holding very deep in the channels…much too deep for light tackle. On Governor's Flats, the crew jumped some fish but an increasing west wind made it difficult to get on these fish. With seas and wind growing, it was time to return to dock. Today's battle of the Fishmans was a split decision…Betty Ann caught and released the biggest bluefish and Bing won bragging rights for his bass. It had been a long time since Bing had fished Boston, and he enjoyed his day on the water. Betty Ann still has memories of her big fish. They will return to do battle again.

Thursday was an afternoon trip. Duffy Ross of Marshfield arranged for Captain Bill to pick up his guests in Boston after work. Joining Duffy for this trip were three of his business associates. Ben Wigren is an accomplished angler who fishes the Merrimac area from his own boat. Daman Cuzmanes and Ryan Mcquikin had less experience in salt water fishing. Captain Bill explained that the crew would have to work hard to find fish. The dawn bite has been much better. After picking the crew up at Sargent Wharf the Skipper headed back to the Inner Triangle where he had found a school of bass on the way in. However, these fish were moving too quickly to work effectively so the crew headed outside to have a look. There was nothing happening so the crew headed back inside. Duffy had sandwiches prepared and the crew enjoyed a fine meal and a nice ride back. While the Skipper tried to position the boat close the fish back at the Inner Triangle, which was made very difficult with all the wakes from the commuter boats and evening traffic, the Skipper had two of the anglers work Bass Assassins on the surface and two work Vivif jigs. Daman was the first to connect on a jig and Ben was next on a surface jerk bait. Before it was time to head back to dock, everyone got a chance to experience Boston Harbor bass action. Damon won bragging rights for the most fish.

Friday was a three boat charter. Draggin' Fly regular Frank Sannella' s tales of "Harba" fishing had sparked much interest among his co-workers so Frank arranged an office fish-off. Today's contest was for bragging rights and friendly wagers. The categories were first fish, biggest fish, smallest fish, most fish, and the most unusual catch. Joining the Draggin' Fly were Captain George on his charter boat, Land Fish and Captain Gene aboard Irish Ayes. Prior to the start of the tournament, Frank and Bob Nelson of Scituate jumped on board the Draggin' Fly to fish their way to Boston for the official start. However, to keep things fair, Frank would not fish with the Skipper during the tournament. Within minutes of clearing the no wake zone of the Back River, Bob and Frank were casting to a small pod of bass. Frank used a Vivif jig, while Bob used a Bass Assassin to catch bass up to 32 inches. After this bite, the Draggin' Fly continued to Boston but got sidetracked when the crew spotted a school of bass that had bait trapped in the skinny waters in Quincy Bay. After several fish, it was time to finish the run to Boston and make the pickup…boy, did the crew hate leaving these fish!

Bob stayed on board the Draggin' Fly, while Frank jumped on Captain George's boat. Also aboard, the Draggin' Fly were Terry Wilby and his 14 year old son, Jack from England. Captain Bill headed back into Quincy Bay but the school of fish that the dawn crew had been working was gone. Just before the tide bottomed out, Jack hit a big bluefish in 3 feet of water. Jack did a wonderful job handling this hot fish. At the change of the tide, Captain Bill and crew headed off shore. The areas that had been holding fish for much of the week failed to produce so the Skipper decided to explore to the East. This proved to be a good decision, as the crew found a big school of aggressive bluefish. With the help of Bob, the Skipper quickly switched over tackle to wire leaders and popping plugs. For the next two hours, Terry, Jack, and Bob kept Captain Bill busy handling bluefish up to 14 pounds. Several times big bass follow the popping plugs but would not strike. Finally, Terry hooked a big bass that took him for a substantial run on his 12 pound rod.

When Captain Bill was finally able to grab the bass, she measured 42 inches and had a girth of over 2 feet. After a quick photograph, this trophy bass was revived and released. This bass also had a US Fisheries tag. Before the day ended, Jack caught and released the biggest bluefish of the tournament.

Terry's big bass earned bragging rights as the largest fish of the contest, and Jack's 35 inch bluefish was top in category. Terry and Jack will not soon forget this fishing trip!

Captain's Report
July 24th, 2010

Sunday was day two of a charter with fly fisher Dave Deitz of Sharon and his Texan guest, Will Gains. This day began much like the previous with a good surface bite just outside the entrance of the harbor. There were a lot of boats chasing these fish. However, the crew stayed on them for about an hour, and then headed back inside Quincy Bay to fish the shallows. Even here there were a number of boats working the structure that Captain Bill likes to fish. Heading out through Nantasket Roads, the crew got into a quick bite at Hospital Shoal. The next stop, in the deep offshore waters was not as good as the previous day, but the fish that were jumped were really big. Here David hooked a large fish which pulled hard against the drag. Once David worked the fish to the boat, the crew could see why. It was a fish well over 30 pounds. After quick picture, David revived this trophy bass and released it. A few more good sized bass were taken before the tide went slack. Will returned to Texas with some great tales about Harbor fishing. And David will return next weekend do battle again.

Monday, Captain Bill headed to Boston to pick up David Matula and his daughter Cally who were visiting from Texas…three days with Texans and the Skipper is now looking for his cowboy hat. When Captain Bill past though the Deer Island Channel on his way to Boston, he saw that the area was loaded with bait. After the pickup, the crew headed to Winthrop, where Captain George had a big dawn bite. It was here had Cally landed the first bass, on a Bass Assassin. A college student at Texas A and M, Cally is an accomplished light tackle angler, who fishes her home waters with Dad for sea trout and red fish.Cally caught and released another bass before David released his first. At the top of the tide, these fish broke up so Captain Bill decided to head back to where he had seen the bait and the bass had found it. David and Cally hook fish after fish on soft plastic jerk baits. After this bite died, the crew headed to Quincy Bay, and it was a repeat of the earlier bass blitz. The next stop was offshore where David

brought up some big bass working a Bass Assassin on the surface. Cally hooked a big bass and as she fought her fish, David also hit a big fish. After both of these 40+ inch fish were released, the crew got into another major surface bite that lasted over an hour and a half. David and Cally will returned home to Texas with tales of an amazing day of fishing in Boston.

Tuesday's corporate trip was canceled because of the client's work conflict… imagine that some people let work interfere with their fishing. The down time allowed the Skipper to get some service done on the boat.

Wednesday, Rick Lucas of Pembroke, hired the Draggin' Fly to celebrate the birthday of his son, Josh of Quincy. This morning, there was some surface action right in the River. Big bass were trapping bait along the edge of the channel. However, these fish showed very little interest in what the crew offered. Captain Bill made the decision to head to the Deer Island Channel. The fog rolled in very quickly, making it difficult to find surface feeding fish. The crew did find a large school working bait in the shallow water, away from the deep water channel. It was here that Josh caught and released the first bass of the trip. For the next hour and a half, Rick and Josh kept the Skipper busy unbuttoning fish. Rick kept one for a cookout and all the rest were released. At slack low water, Captain Bill decided to head to a nearby ledge and try to catch some mackerel. This proved to be quite difficult because the mackerel were really spread out. While Rick was reeling in some mackerel on a Sabiki rig, his rod suddenly lurched over. After a short battle, the light rig broke, leaving the crew wondering, what had hit the rig. After tying on a new rig, a few mackerel were put in the live well. Again, Rick's rod bent over.
And something was pulling a lot of line from the reel against a heavy drag. This time, both Rick and Captain Bill saw why…it was a big bass that broke off right at the boat. With enough live bait in the well, the crew headed offshore. However, today, the offshore bite failed to materialize. Back in the Inner Triangle, a school of bass was busting on bait. The crew finished the morning catching and releasing several more bass casting Bass Assassins.

Thursday was the annual Skadden law office trip. Captain Bill knew that the weather man blew the forecast as he headed to Boston to do a dawn pickup. Fishing aboard the Draggin' Fly on the early trip were Tom Decapo and Joe Scoryerse. Capt. Tom and Capt. George would be picking up the rest of the crew at 7 AM. Just outside the mouth of the harbor, the crew was greeted by a massive school of bass. The problem was that the 25 knot wind had built up four foot seas. As Captain Bill struggled to position the boat, Tom and Joe worked Bass Assassins on top of the waves. At first, the action was fast and furious, and then the birds brought in the fleet. Captain Bill decided to see if he could find some fish in more protective waters. There were scattered pods of fish in Quincy Bay, but these were difficult to stay on. Joe managed to land a nice bass on a Vivif jig. Over the years, the Skadden groups have fished in 100° weather, showers, and wind... but nowhere near as strong as today. However, there have been few trips, where the crew caught more fish during this annual outing.

The weather was much better for Friday's trip. Every year, Dr. Frank Farraye of Medfield dedicates one of his many charters aboard the Draggin' Fly to entertain his first year fellows. Joining Frank were Jennifer Sinclair of Seattle, Rajeev Prabakaran from Florida, and Steve Humm from Las Vegas. Jen and Rajeev had never fish before, and Steve's experience had been mostly in freshwater. After a quick casting lesson Jen landed the first bass of the trip. The surface bite was amazing this morning, starting at dawn and continuing for the next four hours. The action began in the main channel to Boston and moved into the Deer Island Flats. Even though this crew were novices, their skills improve throughout the trip. Jen. Steve, and Rajeev out fished all the nearby boats. This crew kept Captain Bill very busy. And there were times when all three of the fellows and Frank were hooked up. The crew quickly learned the striper dance and managed to avoid most tangles. The biggest fish landed was Rajeev's 34 inch bluefish and the biggest bass was 30 inches.

Saturday Frank Farraye was aboard again, this time with the goal of targeting big fish. When Frank met Captain Bill at dawn, there was more than the patchy fog that the weather man had forecasted, but the Skipper had enough visibility to shove off. However as soon as the Draggin' Fly got out of the River, dense fog set in. Captain Bill used his electronics to navigate outside the channel to avoid other boats. For the next two hours, the fog held the Draggin' Fly inside. However, this turned out to be a stroke of good luck as Frank and the Skipper jumped some nice bass in skinny water. Casting Bass Assassins in 3 to 4 feet of water, they hooked several bass. Most were in the 26 to 30 inch range, but Frank and the Skipper saw several larger fish. Finally, Frank got the hook into a very large bass that took him for a substantial run. Frank was able to work the bass back to the boat, where Captain Bill made the grab and hoisted Frank's trophy bass into the boat for a quick picture. This bass was 44 inches long with
a 26 inch girth. After the photo, Frank revived the bass and watched her swim away, while Captain Bill photograph the release..."mission accomplished". Once the fog lifted and the sun broke through, these fish moved out of the shallow waters. It was time to explore. Once again, the Anchorage was alive with bass and after catching a few, it was time to move on. Frank and Captain Bill ended the trip back in Quincy Bay where Frank was into bigger bass than what they were seeing in the Anchorage. The biggest caught and released was a little better than 30 inches. It was a good morning despite the weather.

Wednesday, the Walsh family from Weymouth joined Captain Bill for a morning of fishing on Boston harbor. On board were Joe, and teenage sons Ryan and Patrick, and young James. It was the younger Walsh, James who brought the first fish to the boat, a nice 25 inch striper. This morning, the fish were not as cooperative as the previous day. The crew saw many fish but it was difficult staying on the fast moving school. It was time to search for more cooperative fish. Other schools were found on Hospital Shoals and outside Castle Island. However, the results are the same…no takers. It was time to head out of the harbor and see if that school of bass Captain Bill found the previous day was still working offshore. It was a long run but worth it. On the first drift, both Ryan and Patrick hooked up on nice bass. As the lines tangled, Ryan broke off, but Patrick landed his first striper, a fat 29 incher. For the next hour, the boys kept Captain Bill busy unbuttoning their fish. There were doubles and even a triple before the school broke up. Ryan earned bragging rights as top rod for his 32 inch bass. Patrick had a much larger bass that took him completely around the boat only to have a line catch on a cleat as the bass made a sudden change in direction. It was time to head back before the heat of the day. The Walshs enjoyed their morning on Boston harbor. The Captain was not sure if it was the early start or all the exercise from reeling his fish, but James was a tired angler catching a quick nap on the way back to dock.

Jay Hoffman of Marshfield and his son Max were aboard Thursday for a light tackle trip. Jay also invited Eugene, Max's piano teacher to spend the morning on Boston Harbor. Max is off to George Washington University in DC where he will soon begin his freshman year as a pre-med major. The first stop just outside the River was both frustrating and somewhat productive. Jay and Max managed to get the hook into two nice bass. Eugene broke off a big bass that took him around the boat when the line fouled on the rear trim tab. Even the Captain busted off a big bass that inhaled his Bass Assassin in 4 feet of water. The next stop failed to produced so the crew decided to head offshore. Just outside of the Harbor the crew found a big school of bass. On the first drift, Max was the first to hit a bass, a fat 32 inch linesider. Jay was soon tight to an identical fish. Eugene also landed his first ever striper and was a keeper. For the next two hours, the crew worked this school of fish. Several times, two anglers were hooked up on big bass at the same time. All these fish were in the 30-32 inch size range with two exceptions. Max landed a 36 inch bass, while Eugene fought a huge bass with a lot advice from the Captain and the rest of the crew. This fish took him deep into the spool, while fighting mostly on the surface. When Eugene finally got it boat side, Captain Bill grabbed it with two hands and carefully brought this trophy bass into the boat. Eugene's fish was measure and photographed before being revived and released. This was a 46 inch, 40 pound trophy bass. All the fish were taken on soft jerk baits until slack tide, when the crew switched to Vivif jigs. Jay who has fished with Captain Bill for 14 years cannot recall a trip that produced as much as action on big bass as this one…and Jay will be out again next week.

David Deitz does it again - trophy bass on fly rod.

Friday, David Deitz of Sharon met Captain Bill at dawn. David is an expert fly fisher who charters with Captain Bill many times a season. Once again, the Draggin' Fly headed right to the shallows. Today, there were fewer fish, but David had a shot at some big ones. He did hook, a nice fish, only to have the hook pull. Captain Bill landed a 34 inch bass on a Vivif jig that he was swimming in 12 feet of water. The next stop in Quincy Bay had some fish, but David was interested in targeting bigger bass. The decision was made to head offshore in search of bigger fish. One of the Captain's good friends called to tell that he was working a nice pod of large bass and already landed a 42 inch bass on light tackle. However, this was not to be for David, who managed to get his fly in front of a few big fish but never got their attention. The next stop off of the Graves was more productive. Here David landed several bass up to 30 inches on his own version of a large Clouser before hooking a bigger fish. David turned to the Captain and announced, "This is the fish we have been looking for." This bass fought almost entirely on the surface, a sure sign of a big fish. David worked the fish boat side and the Captain made the grab. After a quick photo, the bass was measured and carefully placed back into the water. As David revived his trophy bass, the Captain caught the release on film. David's fish measured just over 40 inches and was estimated to push 30 pounds. At the top of the tide, the school broke up and it was time to return to dock...mission accomplished, a trophy bass caught and released on a fly rod!

Draggin Fly regular, Paul Ponicherta of Hingham put together the crew for Saturday's light tackle trip. Joining Paul were neighbor John Murray, Bob Kizelewicz of Holbrook and his son Rob. This was Paul's was the second trip of the season. The Draggin' Fly pushed off before dawn and before the sun came up, the crew were into some nice bass in very shallow water. For an hour, the crew had these fish to themselves. Bob was the first to score and Rob, who was not to be undone by Dad, was right behind him. Meanwhile Paul and John were fishing from the forward platform. And it was almost a repeat of the first trip, as both missed getting their hooks into several fish which erupted on their jerk baits. Paul's luck soon change and he landed a 28 inch bass. At time the bass were in too skinny of water even for the Draggin' Fly. This bite lasted until the tide began to push water onto the flat. The off-shore bite failed to materialize today so Captain Bill headed to the outer island to look for fish. It certainly was not the frenzy of the past several days but the Captain found bass. There was even a triple hook-up with Rob laying claims for the largest bass. His 32 inch fish took a Vivif jig. Before the morning was over the crew hit a few more bass. Paul and John will be out again next week, when they will be joined by two other neighbors for a friend fish-off.

It was another full boat on Sunday. Jayson Sciarappa put together the crew for this light tackle trip. Joining Jay were Kyle Simmons, Ray Robichaud, and his brother Kyle Robichaud. These anglers traveled from western Massachusetts to meet Captain Bill at dawn. The first stop was just outside the river where Kyle R was the first to score and Kyle S was right behind him. Luck was not with Ray and Jay as both missed getting their hooks into several fish which erupted on their jerk baits. The crew caught several more bass up to 30 inches before the tide let go and the fish moved out of the shallow waters. It was time to head off-shore. However, today the fish were much closer to the Harbor. And for this reason, the fleet grew to over 50 boats his morning. Captain Bill did his best to keep in front of the fleet and work the outside of the school. This strategy worked well as Jay, Kyle, Ray, and his brother, the younger Kyle, caught some nice bass on Bass Assassins. A few were also taken on Vivif jigs. The bite lasted for over an hour and a half. The next stop was at the airport but today there were far fewer fish. The crew did jump a few bass and the younger Kyle managed to land a nice fish on Bass Assassin and a few others missed the hook. The final stop was in the Anchorage were the crew caught a few more fish before the fleet found these schools. With several boats trolling through the fish and many others running and gunning, there was no way to work the outside of the schools that were crashing bait. The Western Massachusetts crew had a great morning and had some fresh bass for their afternoon cookout.

Monday, Captain Bill checked the morning radar before heading to Boston to pick up Vinnie Freudenberg of Holliston. Joining Vinnie were his teenage daughter Hannah and Matt, a friend. Captain Bill explained that with the wind predicted to build all morning, it might a short trip. The Captain also knew that given the conditions, there would be no off-shore exploration today. Within minutes of picking up the crew, Matt had the first fish to the boat. Casting with the wind, the soft plastic jerk baits traveled a country mile…against the wind was a different story. It took Hannah only a few minutes to learn the technique for working these surface lure, and then she more than held her own with the two more veteran anglers. For over an hour and a half, Hannah, Vinnie, and Matt kept Captain Bill busy unhooking fish for release. All action was in the Inner Triangle. The Captain also had to keep an eye on the morning commuter boats, which also kept the Draggin' Fly bobbing like a cork. As the south west wind continued to build, the crew decided to make a move and headed to Dorchester Bay. This proved to the correct decision because another big school of bass was working bait by the Kennedy Library. These fish were smaller than the ones in Boston so after a few were caught and released, it was time to try one more spot before returning the guests back to dock. As Captain Bill made the turn around Thompson, he knew that this area would not be fishable, and he also knew that the ride back to Weymouth was going to be very interesting. With Vinnie, Hannah, and Matt safely back on land, Captain Bill made the long journey across the harbor. Vinnie is planning two more trips this season.

Tuesday, Burt Adelman of Concord and his son Ian of Somerville booked the Draggin' Fly to learn more about fishing Boston Harbor. The first stop was just two minutes from the River's no wake zone; both Burt and Ian were into some nice bass. Most of the fish fell for Bass Assassin's jerk across 5 feet of water…however, the biggest hit a Vivif jig.
The Adlemans quickly learned that a slow retrieve worked best to get the attention of fish holding in this shallow water. At times, the fish pushed out into deeper water and trapped bait on the surface. The trick to catching these fish was accurate casts and a faster retrieve. This bite died with the tide. Moving into Quincy Bay, the crew jumped a larger school of bass that was pushing bait along a rip formed by a quickly changing bottom. This bite lasted for almost an hour and a half. It was time to head into Boston and see if the fish that provided fast action the previous day would cooperate today…and the answer was no! However, Burt and Ian caught some nice bass casting along the shore in Dorchester. The crew finished the trip back in Quincy Bay, chasing pods of fast moving bass.

There was more wind than Captain Bill and guests David Deitz of Sharon and his son, Andrew of Boston needed on Wednesday morning. Both David and Andrew are very accomplished fly fishers so the decision was made to give it a short. David, a master fly tyer, loves to fish the surface with his customized version of the Gurgler, which was featured an article in the New England Fisherman. However, today was not the day anyone could deliver this giant fly to fish so David switch to a sinking line and tied on a newly at the first stop outside the River. However, today there were fewer fish so it was time to explore. In Quincy Bay, David and Andrew hit the mother lode, as a large school of bass was driving bass along some rock structure. These fish were bigger and more aggressive than the earlier fish. For over 2 hours, Andrew and David kept Captain Bill very busy unhooking and releasing bass. The best part of this story was that there was not another boat in sight. At times, both David and Andrew were hooked up on big bass that took them deep into their backing. The biggest was just shy of 3 feet. David has many more trips with the Draggin' Fly scheduled throughout the season…he will be out next week.

Thursday, 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 to the shallows. Here Joe was the first to hook up but as quickly as the fight started, it was over when the hook pulled. Peter was next to bring up a bass on his jerk bait but this fish missed the hook. Joe hit another…and again the hooked pulled as the fish made the initial. Then, a leader broke. And Captain Bill began to have doubts about the day. The curse was finally broken when Joe put the first fish into the boat. After a few smaller bass, it was time to move on. In Quincy Bay, the bass had herring trapped in very shallow water. At times, it was in too shallow water even for the Draggin' Fly to get to. Again, Joe was the first to hook up with a nice 34 inch bass. Peter was next and Ron soon had his first fish of the trip. Joe had a made major eruption at the side of the boat when a big bass inhaled his Bass Assassin just as he was ready to pull it out of the water. Captain Bill watched the entire attack and knew that it was a trophy fish. Joe did a great job working the fish. At one point, the bass made a run directly into the path of a lobster boat which was pulling pots. The lobster boat actually stopped the boat and allowed Joe to work the fish around his gear. This is not a normal pratice as these commercial fisherman need to pull hundreds of pots during their long day so the crew was very appreciative of this courteously. Finally, the fish was brought to the boat and Captain Bill made the grab. Joe had his trophy bass, which measured 43 inches with a 26 ½ girth on 10 pound line. The crew caught more bass in the Bay and at several other spots before calling it a day. Peter has a fall trip scheduled and is targeted a bigger fish…so that he can bust Joe's and earning bragging rights for the year!

As usual, Captain Bill is taking the July 4th holiday weekend off. Captain Bill will park the boat; he and the first mate, wife Mary will be visiting their grandson in NY. The Draggin' Fly will be back on the water on July 5th. 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.

Captain's Report
June 27th, 2010

The Draggin' Fly was back on the water after Captain Bill's trip to Chicago. Tuesday, June 22nd Larry Wagner and Will Gardner of Maine were on board for a light tackle trip. There was a quick bite in Quincy Bay just after dawn. The action did not last long, but both Larry and Will caught bass up to 30 inches on Bass Assassins before the fish made a hasty disappearance. There was a big bite off-shore, where a large school of bass continued to feed on sea herring. These fish have been working from Nahant to east of the Graves for over a week. It was nonstop action for almost two hours. While Will was battling a bruiser of a bluefish that took to the air like a missile, Larry hit a hot fish right next to the boat. Fearing popping the leader with too hard a hook set at such point blank range, he held on as the fish ran hard against the drag. However, the hook never connected to hard bone and the bass was able to throw the hook during the first run. No matter, it was a day of smiling, giggling, and exhaustion, as these veteran anglers caught and released bass after bass with several stretching the tape to 36 inches.

Wednesday, George Phillipides of West Roxbury and his 10 year son, John met Captain Bill after the morning storms passed. Joining the crew was Charlie Pyle another 10 year from Chestnut Hill. It was an abdominally late start for the Draggin' Fly…as you know Captain Bill likes to be on the water by dawn. But given the ages of the junior crew meembers and the weather, the decision was made to push off at 8 AM. After a quick casting lesson, it didn't take long for the young anglers to get into their first ever bass. John landed his bass on a Vivif jig, while Charlie caught his bass on a soft plastic stick bait. The next stop in Quincy Bay looked promising, but did not produce so Captain Bill made the decision to run off-shore. Just outside the main shipping lane, a very large school of bass was working schools of herring. This morning, the fish were somewhat difficult to catch because of the massive amount of bait. Like the previous day, a very large bass engulfed George's Bass Assassin right beside the boat. Unlike the previous trip, George set hard on the bass and this time the leader popped…who knows what works best. Captain Bill will be fishing later this week with the rep from Owner Hooks and will pick his brain. Before it was time to head back to dock, all three anglers caught and released bass up to 30 inches. George, John, and Charlie experienced the Lure of Boston Harbor and are hooked. They are already making plans to return later in the season.

Thursday, Dragonfly regular Frank Farraye of Medfield invited two out-of-state guests, Harry Sarles from Texas and Irving Pike from Virginia Beach to join him for a morning of Boston Harbor fishing before their business meeting. Irving fished last year with Frank but this was Harry's fish trip in the Harbor. The wind was predicted to increase during the morning; the crew knew that they had a limited window to find fish. With little wind and low slack water, Captain Bill headed right to the shallows. The crew managed to jump a few fish, but the fish showed little interest in what was being offered. At times, the bass would follow, but turn away, refusing to take. With the tide now beginning to run, it was time to head offshore to see if those schools of bass and blues were still there. There were far fewer fish this morning than over the past few days, and the fish were also very finicky. Frank managed to get a hook into the first fish of the day and quickly released a small keeper. The bass moved quickly so the crew had only a few chances to cast before they moved again. A few more fish were caught and released before these fish disappeared completely. With the wind really beginning to howl, it was to give this round to the fish and head home.

Friday, Dan Shea, an old friend of the Captain's from New Hampshire invited his daughter, Cory for a morning of fishing Boston Harbor. It didn't take long for Corrie to put the first fish into the boat, a nice fat 30 inch striper, which was quickly photographed and released. Fishing in 4 feet of water, Corrie and Dan brought up a few more small bass before the fish disappeared. Schools were located on the sonar at the next stop by the airport, but these fish refused the crew's offerings. Just outside Deer Island, a large fleet of boats were working a school of bass. These fish were feasting on drop back herring, not the sea herring the schools of bass had been on for the past several days. These fish were also quite selective and proved difficult to catch. However, both Dan and Corrie were able to connect with a few on Bass Assassins. Meanwhile, Captain Bill had his hands full. His catch was taken on a jig. It was estimated at 35 feet long and over 4 tons. It seems that as the Captain fought the fish a nearby boat ran over his line, which wrapped around one of his prop. Once the Draggin' Fly crew got the attention of this other boat, Captain Bill was able to reel in the line and release his catch. A few more pods of fish were located back inside Quincy Bay before was time to head back to dock.

It was a full boat as Draggin Fly regular, Paul Ponicherta of Hingham put together the crew for Saturday's light tackle trip. Joining Paul were Bob Kizelewicz of Holbrook, Colin Kearney of Scituate, and Tom Aceravatti of Weymouth. This was the first of many trips that Paul has booked for this season. Just as the sun came up, the crew jumped some nice bass in very shallow water. Tom was the first to score and Bob was right behind him. Meanwhile Paul and Colin were fishing from the forward platform. And luck was not with them, as both missed getting their hooks into several fish which erupted on their jerk baits. Tom and Bob continued to dominate…releasing several more bass up to 30 inches before Paul's luck changed, and he hooked some fish. Colin was fishing a Hogy stick bait and had numerous attacks, but the hook never seemed to hit home. This bite lasted until the tide let go…and yes, Colin did catch a few fish. On the tide turn, Captain Bill headed off-shore in search of the schools of bass that he has been on for some time. This morning the fleet was larger than even the previous day! But most were better behaved, giving each other plenty of room and there was less driving onto the fish. Paul, Tom, Colin, and Bob all caught numerous fish on Bass Assassins during the hour long frenzy. At times two anglers were hooked up at once and there were even a few triples. The Draggin' Fly crew seemed to out fish the other boats because these experienced anglers knew how to work jerk baits. Paul earned bragging rights for catching the biggest fish, not his dream fish but a very respectable 3 footer. The next stop was on Deer Island flats. The crew found a nice pod of fish in 2 feet of water. These fish ranged in size from small schoolies to over 30 inches. Before the end of the trip, Paul did hook his dream fish that tore line off his reel like a run-away freight train. The fish won this round as it was able to get to some nearby structure, parting the leader. Paul has several more trips aboard the Draggin' Fly to even the score.

Sunday, Frank Farraye of Medfield returned to fish is third trip of the season. Today, he invited Michael O'Brien of Hingham for a day of light tackle fishing. It was an early start with just a slight drizzle and no wind, perfect conditions to hunt fish in the shallows. Stalking big bass in skinny water is Frank's favorite way of fishing. Mike was the first to score on a nice bass which quickly inhaled his soft jerk bait worked in 4 feet of water. A few more bass would jump before Frank connected with another, also on a bass assassin. At slack water, Captain Bill headed to the airport to search the flats and the approach channels. The crew could see the fog moving in, but that did not stop Mike and Frank from hitting some big bass. The biggest was Mike's, which pushed the tape to near the three-foot mark. With the tide now pulling, this concentration of fish broke up and moved into the backwaters, an area of the airport that has been off limits since the new security zone was established after 911. As the crew headed back to Quincy Bay, the fog really set-in, limiting visibility to less than 50 yards. There would be no way to spot fish in the shallows so the decision was made to head to dock. The 5 mile trip was run under full electronics.

Due to other commitments, Captain Bill did not fish the beginning of the week. However, Captain George kept him informed about a very large school of bass north of the city. When the Captain got back of the water with Frank Sannalla and Kevin Callahan of Scituate conditions were ideal for shallow water fishing. It did not take long for Frank to put the first fish into the boat. Frank likes swimming Vivif jigs just under the surface and this morning his technique out fished even the deadly soft jerk baits that Kevin was using. Several bass up to 32 inches were caught in Hingham and Quincy before the crew headed off shore to find some tinker mackerel for bait. But the schools of mackerel really had thinned out over the past week and only a handful were caught...but enough to go fishing again. North of Nahant, huge schools of bass were working sea herring. For several hours, Kevin and Frank landed bass after bass on light tackle, and most of these fish were well over 30 inches. The Captain put mackerel down deep on a Penn 560 live lining outfit. Unlike other charter skippers, Captain Bill prefers using 15 pound spinning tackle when using live bait…the heavy conventional tackle does not offer much of a challenge. The largest bass taken on mackerel was 38 inches, which fell short of Frank's 40 inch bass taken on a Vivif jig. Before the crew said goodbye to these fish, Frank also landed the first bluefish of the season. Kevin and Frank fished from 5 AM to 2 PM and were on fish this entire time, except for the hour spent hunting the mackerel. Wow, what a day!

The Draggin' Fly remained at berth for the rest of the week, while Captain Bill attended his youngest son, Joe's graduation from Kellogg School of Business Management at Northwestern University. Followers of the escapades of the Draggin' Fly will remember Joe, who won the Massachusetts Salt Water Fishing Contest for the largest striped bass caught by junior angler and again the following year the largest bonito back in the late 90s. Joe is a graduate of Massachusetts Maritime Academy and now with his new MBA heads south to Austin, Texas. Maybe he can chase some white bass down there!

Women are Reel Fishers- Tess Fallon with a Boston Harbor Bass

Saturday, Frank Sannella, a Draggin' Fly regular of Scituate invited David Adler of CT to enjoy a morning of fishing Boston Harbor. The weather forecast was for showers and a possible thunder storm so Captain Bill suggested that the crew meet later than normal. By dawn, the bad weather had past over the area and was now out to sea and Captain Bill got busy looking for fish. Again this morning, bass had bait trapped in the Inner Triangle. The bite on Sculpin Ledge was pretty amazing. Frank and David caught a bunch of bass on Bass Assassins worked in among the breaking fish. Frank switched to a jig in hopes of catching a bigger fish, but all the bass were in the 24- 26 inch range. Hoping for bigger bass, the crew moved closer to Boston and again were into breaking fish. At slack water, Captain Bill headed to the Deer Island flats to search the shallow water and the approach channels. Here the crew scored on bigger fish and Frank's jigging technique proved to be most effective. After two bass were taken for the grill, Captain Bill headed into Quincy Bay hoping to work the shallows before the wind picked up…but the wind was already building when the crew arrived. The drifts were fast…but so was the fishing, as both David and Frank caught and release several more bass before heading back to dock.

Again on Sunday the forecast was showers and possible thunder storms so Captain Bill again delayed the start until after dawn. On board today were David Deitz of Sharon and his son Andrew, as well as Frank Farraye of Medfield. With little wind, the first stop in Quincy Bay looked promising to hunt skinny water, but this morning, there were no fish working the shallows. Captain Bill decided to take advantage of the light winds and lack of rain to head to Boston. It did not take long to find the fish. Just under the bridge, Frank hooked the first of many bass of the morning on a soft jerk bait. David who favors the long rod was fishing his owned version of a Gurgler…this is a monstrous fly that David has designed to catch big fish up to over 30 pounds during other outings on the Draggin' Fly. This proved deadly this morning. This morning the fish were all in the 25-30 inch range but the crew saw many that were much larger. Andrew finally got his lure in front of one of the big ones and hooked up only to have the hook pull out. As the wind picked up and the rain began to fall, the crew headed back to dock. Frank returns next weekend while David will take next week off and fish at the end of the month.

Captain's Report
May 31, 2010

For the past few weeks, Captain Bill has been fishing the afternoon tides during the week and mornings on the weekends. When Captain Bill is finishing up in school, Captain George has been working the dawn shift and most mornings has had an excellent early morning bite in the Inner Triangle. Most of the action was on fly tackle with herring patterns working best. While Captain George was whacking bass in Boston, other schools have been working between Hull Gut and Hospital Shoal.

With herring readily available, bass have been blitzing baitfish on the surface and gorging themselves throughout Inner Harbor almost on a daily basis. This is a one of the best starts of any recent season. Without the ban on using herring (even the possession on dead herring is a violation of the law), the trick to catching these fish is to fish herring type lures like soft plastic baits. Position the boat well in front of the school and cast a Panther Martin Vivif or a Storm Shad on light lines. This is also a great time to break out the long rod with a Big Eye Deceiver or a Half'N Half. Soft plastic jerk baits such as Sluggos and Hogy stick baits will also get attention. And now with mackerel just beginning to show in big schools just outside the Harbor, the number of bass and the size of fish should continue to grow over the next several weeks.

The winds were light Saturday, May 22nd when fly fisher, Bernie Hamill of Quincy met Captain Bill for his annual fly fishing trip. Within minutes of clearing the no wake zone of the river, Bernie was casting to a nice school of bass in Quincy Bay. The fish were really hitting the herring so they moved quickly. Captain Bill was able to keep on the fish for quite a while so that Bernie could get his Clouser into them. At times, the gulls, helped locate the fish, but more often there were no birds on these fish so most other boats moved by without noticing the action. Before these fish broke up on the top of the tide, Bernie caught several up to legal size. Captain Bill next headed to the inner Triangle. Bernie caught a few more bass before these fish moved into the deeper water. The next stop in shallow water at Thompson Island produced another bass. On the way back to dock, Captain Bill and Bernie finished the trip working the shallows. Although they did not find fish here, it was a nice morning.

Sunday's trip with 3 guests from Sweden was cancelled because of thick fog. When Captain Bill pushed off of dock to head into Boston to pick up his international guests, there was some fog. However, by the time he got into Quincy Bay, the fog was thick, black, and wet. Captain Bill went as far as the Long Island Bridge, before deciding to wait and see if the fog would lift. It would be too dangerous to cross the shipping channels to Boston, where clients waited and the fish have been the past several days. After waiting two hours, this trip was scrubbed and the Swedish guests returned home without experiencing the lure of Boston Harbor.

Saturday morning, May 29th Draggin'Fly regulars, Frank Farraye of Medfield and David Deitz of Sharon were greeted by a stronger south wind when they met Captain Bill at the dock. After several days of record heat, there was also a noticeable temperature drop. The plan was to head to the Inner Triangle and catch the last of the outgoing tide. As soon as the crew arrived, bass began to herd herring in the shallow water just off the main channel. Both David and Frank caught fish on their first cast. While David used a Clouser on his eight weight fly rod, Frank used soft plastic jerk baits to catch bass in the 24-26 inch range. With little tide moving, more light, and increased boat traffic, the fish became more difficult to catch. After the tide turn, the fished moved into deeper water. The crew switched tactics and fished deep. Both Frank and David caught a few more bass before the decision was made to head offshore in search of mackerel. Near the Graves, some large schools of tinker mackerel were located, but there were no bass on these fish. After filling the bait tanks, Captain Bill headed back inside. Off of Spectacle Island some bass were working the surface. However, the fish were keyed in on herring and only occasionally gave chase to David's fly or Frank's lure. Even when the crew switched to live mackerel, the bass would pick up the bait and after a very short run they dropped it. Captain Bill headed to Quincy Bay, where the crew finished the trip chasing a school of bass in the shallows. David and Frank kept two fish for the weekend grill.

Memorial Day, May 31st, Kevin Mackin of Weymouth invited his nephew, Sean Murphy and Matt Ferron to share a light tackle trip. Again today the plan was to fish the outgoing tide in the Inner Triangle. As soon as the crew arrived, bass began to herd herring in the shallow water just off the main channel by Castle Island. Captain Bill explained how to fish soft jerk baits and soon all three anglers were catching school bass in the 22-26 inch range. Although the crew never had a triple, there were enough doubles to keep the skipper hopping. When the boat traffic picked up, the surface bite became more sporadic so the crew changed to jigs to get down to the fish. This technique worked but not nearly as well as when the fish had bait pinned on the surface…Captain Bill would classify it as a slow pick. At slack water, the crew moved to the airport to see if any bass were holding in the approach channels. It didn't take long as both Matt and Sean were soon tight to a pair of fat linesiders. Kevin proved to be the top rod catching a 32 inch bass for the afternoon cookout. The next stop was east of the Graves to search for mackerel. Today this bait was much more difficult to locate. After trying a few spots, enough macks were in the live well to head back inside. Today, the mackerel failed to produce any action. But in the shallows of Quincy Bay, Sean found a hungry bass on his Vivif jig. Soon Kevin and Matt were catching bass on jerk baits, despite a nasty east wind that had built a big chop across the shallows. This was a nice end to a fun day.

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