This year David Deitz and Frank Farraye continued their quest to hunt big fish during every part of the season, something they have done for several years. Joining these two "olde salts" in fishing multiple times this season to experience the many different faces of Boston Harbor were Vinnie Fruedenberg, Frank Sannella, Chris Baker, and Frank Cheverie. I am sure that these anglers 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 or chasing fish along the rock ledges of the Inner Triangle, it was a season to remember even for harbor veterans.

Bait was a little slow moving into the Harbor, but once mackerel made their initial appearance, they took up residence on the near-by ledges. This unprecedented run of mackerel lasted for most of the season. Throughout May, large schools of herring made their way to their spawning grounds in the Harbor's rivers, and big schools of bass were right on them. When the weather cooperated, the Draggin' Fly had some outstanding trips. By the end of the month, the weather broke and the Draggin' Fly got out almost every day in early June.

In June, there was a strong run of juvenile herring and drop-backs adding to the bait supply. These juvies stayed in the Harbor until the first Nor'Easter of September. Schools of bass continued to move into the Harbor throughout the month of June. By July good numbers of bass and a few jumbo bluefish took up residence in the inner bays, especially Quincy Bay. At times, much of the Inner Harbor held bass. Surprisingly, there was an excellent surface bite throughout the month, both inside the Harbor and off-shore. This bite and the nice weather lasted right through July.

The fishing during the first three weeks in August was to quote a Draggin' Fly regular "simply incredible." During the first week in the month, it was schools of big bass and bruiser blues in the approach channels. Then in the middle of the month, spike mackerel invaded Harbor; last year was the first time in over a decade that the Skipper had seen these small baitfish in our local waters and then it was only in the fall. By mid-August, the Inner Triangle loaded up with this bait, attracting huge schools of bass. Big blues were scattered inside but were bunched up off-shore. The best bite was in and around Nahant Bay.

Surprisingly, fall fishing proved to be more difficult than past years. After a summer of great weather and strong fishing, the weather turned against us at the beginning of September. A series of weak Nor'easters blew through Boston and the surrounding waters during the early part of the month. Even when it cleared, the fishing never fully recovered. These fronts had done their damage, dumping many, many inches of rain…the salinity levels of the water were too low to support the bait. The only big concentration of bait was offshore, and there were few fish on this bait. While several clients took huge bass on pogies, the fall surface bite never materialized. September proved to be a challenging month, both wind-wise and fish-wise. A decent run of sea bass was a real bonus.

The weather in early October also worked against the Draggin' Fly. It seemed when it was not raining it was windy. When the stripers know it's time to go, they do so in a hurry. The Draggin' Fly finished the season before Columbus Day. It was time for Captain Bill to store tackle, clean the boat, and make plans for a winter season of skiing.

One cause of concern this season was the lack of pogies. While the waters south of Massachusetts loaded up with pogies as early as June, this year there were very few pogies in the Boston area and the few we had did not show until mid-August. And again this year, juvenile pogies, known as peanut bunker were found in ever diminishing numbers along most of the East Coast. Without new generations of fingerlings, the numbers of mature pogies will surely decrease.

This past season was a complete sellout so be sure to book early for 2012. Don't miss out on what is sure to be another exciting season.

Fair winds,

Captain Bill

Captain's Report
October 2, 2011

By late summer, large schools of peanut bunker have historically invaded Boston Harbor and provided plenty of feed for bass and bluefish through early fall. Draggin' Fly clients have caught many trophy fish using artificial casted among schools of peanuts. However, for the past few seasons, we have seen very few of these baitfish in or around the Harbor.

The good sign is the number of herring fry and Bay Anchovies now spread out around the Harbor.
The weather cooperated and so did the fish, at least at the beginning of the week. Then the weather turned on the Skipper and forced the cancelation of the weekend plans.

Monday, Vinnie Freudenberg of Natick met Captain Bill before dawn for his last trip of the season. This Draggin' Fly regular has fished every part of the season and was hoping to score a "Harba Slam" on this last trip. Joining Vinnie was David Ford of Newburyport, a new guest. The crew began hunting the skinny waters of Quincy Bay but found little to interest them. Today there were very few pogies so the Skipper decided to drift Lower Middle. On the second drift, Captain Bill spotted some bird action to the East. It was the start of an hour and a half surface bite. Bait had returned to the Harbor and the fish were right behind. Although the fish were moving around, Captain Bill was able to position the Draggin' Fly in front of the fish on several occasions. David was the first to score a 32 inch bass swimming a Bass Assassin on a quarter ounce jig head. This fish was hooked on the lightest road onboard so David had his angling skills tested. This bass was kept for the grill and all others would be released. David and Vinnie even doubled up while the other boats seem to struggle. Vinnie also landed a nice bluefish on the soft jerk bait. Once the surface bite ended, both David and Vinnie brought up bass working jerk baits slowly. The crew finished the day jigging for sea bass so Vinnie could have his first "Harba Slam". And on the first drift in the rip at Hull Gut he did just that landing a sea bass... a great ending to a very busy season.

The weather was looking pretty sketchy for David Deitz's trip on Thursday so when Captain Bill had a last-minute cancellation on Wednesday David jumped on it. It was a late start due to the big minus tide. And the weather was much better than had been forecasted. David and the Skipper did not find any fish in the shallows so they headed to the Inner Triangle. There was a lot of bird activity off Deer Island, but there seemed to be much more bait than fish. Captain Bill headed further into the Harbor and found a small pod of bass in the Sugar Bowl. David gave his arm a rest and switch to a spinning rod. He caught the first fish of the day swimming a jig just off of the main channel. The fish finally came up at mid-tide, but they were very difficult to catch. David tried several different flies but none seem to get the attention of the fish. At first, the Skipper had about the same results with the spinning rod. After many different changes, he found the combination that worked. The Skipper rigged a five and Zoom Super Fluke on a quarter ounce jig head. Casting it into the frenzy of fish, he twitched it and was immediately eaten by a nice bass. And this proved to be the trick. Several bass, all legal size fish were caught and release before the tide let go. A few bluefish also attacked this jig combo but just bit through the plastic bodies. One was exceptionally strong, getting down into the backing before it finally bit through the lead. At slack water, Captain Bill headed to the rip at Hull Gut looking to catch a few sea bass before heading to dock. David caught his sea bass but missed the "Harba Slam" since no bluefish were actually landed. David fished many times this season and was among this year's high hooks, something he has accomplished for most of the 10 plus years he has fished with Captain Bill.

Friday, Captain Bill had a profession commitment so Captain George filled in on the dawn patrol. There were no fish in Quincy Bay, but the Inner Triangle had a good surface blast. Captain George stayed on these fish for awhile but as the fleet grew, his patience waned. He decided to run to the North where he found blitzing fish. The bait off of Revere Beach started when the incoming water began to pull and lasted for two hours.

It did not look like the Draggin' Fly would sail on Saturday. The forecast was for heavy rain in the morning and increasing winds from the east throughout the day. After talking to today's guest, Steve Carlson of Needham before dawn, it was agreed to wait and see what would develop when light came up. Steve fishes the Harbor from his own boat, and wanted to fish with Captain Bill to learn more about the harbor and learn more light tackle techniques. By 9 AM the heaviest rain had passed and the wind was very light, but the Harbor was covered in fog. Captain Bill was in constant contact with friends in Boston and Winthrop who were watching the fog. Just after noon, the fog had lifted so Captain Bill called Steve and arranged to meet in an hour. The skies were overcast as the Draggin' Fly pushed off and headed to Boston. However, the fog began to roll back in and settled right over the Harbor making it to dangerous to run to the airport flats where the Skipper planned on fishing. Steve and Captain Bill fished every rock pile in the Quincy Bay raising a sole bluefish that attacked a Bass Assassin. The fog never cleared all afternoon and it was even thick in the river. Steve promised to return next spring to experience the "lure of Boston Harbor" and learn a few new spots to fish.

This week provided many challenges for Captain Bill and his guests. There were weather problems earlier in the week. Trips were also hampered by a lack of bait.

Monday's trip with Draggin' Fly regular Vinnie Fruedenberg of Natick was canceled due to the strong winds.

Wednesday afternoon Captain Bill traveled to Boston to pick up Mike Buckley and his guests. There had been a good bite in the morning, and several of the Skipper's friends had been on it. All of fish were caught on pogies…not Captain Bill's favorite method of fishing but he put the live bait well on board. By the time the crew got out later in the afternoon, this bite was over. At the first stop in Quincy Bay, Mike brought up a bluefish that slashed through his plastic jerk bait. When no other fish were raised, Captain Bill headed to his favorite rip where he had been pulling fish from. The crew had a few hits on jigs and caught the only fish, a black sea bass. Captain Bill tried every rock pile from Hull to Boston without luck.

Thursday's fly fishing trip with Damon Reed of Vermont was scrubbed. The wind was forecasted to blow hard out of the East... too much wind for a fly fishing trip

Friday Frank Sannella of Scituate met Captain Bill at dawn. An out-of-state guest had to bail at the last moment so it would only be Frank and the Skipper. A quick stop in Quincy Bay found a few fish. A big bass blew up on the jerk bait that Captain Bill worked in the skinny water. And another track on it but turned away at the boat. Frank hooked a nice fish on a Bass Assassin. When he brought it boat side, the Skipper grabbed the leader avoiding the teeth and released a nice bluefish back on its way. At slack water, the Draggin' Fly headed to Boston to search for pogies. Today, they were in Dorchester Bay but were holding deep so they were difficult to snag. Once a half dozen were in the bait well, the Skipper headed to the Inner Triangle and found scattered fish on Governor's Flats. Frank caught two swimming jigs, his specialty. Once these fish broke up, Captain Bill headed back to Quincy Bay. Here Frank and the Skipper were into blitzing bass in very skinny water. As the bait moved out into the bay, bluefish got into the mix. This bite lasted for well over an hour. Bass Assassins and Zoom jerk baits worked equally well. When the fish were crashing the surface, these lures needed to be worked really fast. When this surface bite quit, Frank and Captain Bill caught others slowly twitching the lures. The Skipper wanted to fish the pogies in the rip at Hull Gut but thick fog rolled in making it too dangerous. Drifting the pogies along a rock pile in Quincy Bay brought up a few bass that chased the baits but would not eat them. On the way back to dock in the pea soup fog, Captain Bill hugged the rocky shoreline to avoid the commuter boats and other commercial traffic. And there was one more spot to try…if you have fished in thick fog, you know that it can be quite an interesting adventure. The fish often come at lures like a roaring lion, grabbing the bait as soon as it hits the water…the fight is on.. but that's another story.

Saturday's trip with Paul Ponicherta's crew was delayed so the Skipper could watch the weather and wait until the sun came up to see if the forecasted rain and fog would actually occur. A check of the radar and a look outside had Captain Bill calling Paul to rally the troops. Joining Paul for his last trip of the season were his son Eric of Scituate, Bruce Pearson of Sheffield, and Bob Kizelewicz of Holbrook. It was a full boat when the crew pushed off and headed to Quincy Bay. A friend was already fishing there and said that they had seen a few fish chasing bait on the surface. The Skipper headed into the skinny water and jump small pods of fish. Eric had a big bass erupt on his jerk bait but missed the hook. The fish were moving fast working Bay Anchovies and Silversides. Paul was the next to raise a fish that crashed on his Bass Assassin, but it too missed the hook. Then I was Bob's turn… the same results. Bruce finally got a hook into a hot fish only to have it charge forward, entangling another line. Captain Bill quickly cut the other line and the battle was on. Bruce landed a 25 inch bluefish... one of the few bluefish that were in the mix this morning. Once the tide went slack, it was time to head to Boston. Friends who had been trying to target pogies found none so the Draggin' Fly headed to Governor's Flats. Once again the crew found pods of fish, but by the time the Captain could position the boat, they went down. This was the same situation when the crew headed back to Quincy Bay. When even the rips failed to produced, the crew admitted it was not going to happen today.

Sunday George Philippides of West Roxbury arranged a light tackle trip for his sons, 7 year Alejandro, 11year old John, and a family friend Charlie, also 11 years old. The Skipper checked inside Hingham before heading to Quincy Bay. Two fellow charters had been working the Bay but had found nothing. Just as the crew turned the corner at Nut Island, they jumped a school of bass. However these fish proved that not all bass will attack soft jerk baits. They were feeding on small Bay Anchovies and showed no interest in plastic. The Captain work the entire Bay but found no fish. The crew found similar conditions in the Inner Triangle. Although the crew hooked a few fish, they had nothing to show for all their efforts. The good news was that by the end of the trip, Alejandro was casting like a veteran.

Since last week's mini- Noreaster, there has been no mackerel and little herring in the Harbor. There was limited bird activity all week so the huge fleets of boats that normally crowd the Harbor this time of year were also absent. There were some pods of pogies and when the fish get on this bait, they do not normally attract birds. There is still some mackerel offshore...and when they can get out, the bait fishermen are running offshore to catch macks and bringing them back inside. Captain Bill continued to do what he does best…fish the areas that hold concentrations of resident bass. Much of the action this week came on swimming jigs, not the easiest technique to master. But it is paying off, and the Skipper has a severe case of tendonitis in his elbow to prove it is work. This condition is often referred to as tennis elbow or golfer's elbow… but in this case, we can call it jigging elbow!!

Monday Frank Cheverie put together a light tackle trip to entertain his friends Tom and Paul. It was another morning without a surface bite so the crew began by drifting eels at slack water. The crew had no luck so Captain Bill tried a few of his low-water spots, again without success. The crew made the swing through the Inner Triangle, but there was too little bait to hold any fish. A check with a friend fishing to the North confirmed that there too the fishing was slow. Hoping that as the tide turned, the fish would become more active, the Draggin' Fly headed back inside. As the tide began to pick up, the fish moved into the rip off Hull Gut. Captain Bill rigged the crew up with several different jigs to see what preference the fish would have. Tom hooked a hot fish working a Vivif jig on the lightest rod on the boat. When he got the fish to the boat, the crew saw that it was a nice sized bluefish. Blues also attacked the eels that the Skipper was drifting. The crew had good luck drifting the rip and working jigs for sea bass. Frank landed the biggest black bass of the season on a Berkley Powerbait jig. At one time all three anglers were tight to sea bass and most were keeper size. The Skipper kept a few for the grill and released all the others. Frank hooked a big fish that pulled a lot of line against a tight drag. But before he could get it to the boat the hook pulled leaving everyone wondering if this was a big bass, which would have completed the Harba Slam.

Thursday, Frank Sannella and Bob Nelson of Scituate met Captain Bill before dawn. On the first drift just off of the east end Peddocks Island, Frank landed the first fish of the day swimming a jig, his specialty. Once the tide went flat, Captain Bill headed to the Inner Triangle. He had reports from the previous day of some big bass working schools of pogies in Winthrop. The crew did not find the pogies but they did find some big bass in 3 feet of water just off the airport. You could see these fish swimming just below the surface, but they refused everything that was offered to them. It was time to find more cooperative fish and the Skipper did just this. The sonar showed some nice fish holding just off the main channel at Castle Island. Bob was a first connect landing a 34 inch bass on a jig. At times, small pods of pogies swam by the boat so while Frank stayed with his jig, Bob switched to a snagging hook. On his first try, he hooked a pogy but before you get it to the boat, it was engulfed by a big bass. When Bob finally worked it back to the boat, Captain Bill made the grab. After a quick picture, Bob released a big bass that measured just shy of 47 inches. Frank and the Skipper grabbed a couple of more bass on jigs while Bob continued to snag pogies only to have them eaten by big bluefish... Bob never was able to get any to the boat. Frank's jig was also being attacked by blues who were making a mess of the plastic lures. After this bite, the crew decided to head back into Hull and finished the day jigging for sea bass. And today Frank and Bob landed a Harba Slam... bluefish, striped bass, and black sea bass!

Friday's trip was scrubbed because of BIG North West winds.

And it didn't get any better as the wind switched to the North East making for even tougher fishing conditions over the weekend. Even at dawn the wind was much greater than the 10-15 that was forecasted. The wind finally laid down late Saturday afternoon only to pick up over night. Guest fared as well as Red Sox Nation of late! Even Draggin' Fly regulars, Frank Farraye of Medfield and David Deitz of Sharon had a hard fish. This wind limited where the crew could fish…there can be no sight fishing in the shallows with wind like this. There just isn't enough bait to hold fish in the regular fall spots! Unlike earlier in the week, jigging the rips had marginal results…either the drifts were too fast or the rips never made up due to the wind moving with the tide. Also, some of the Skipper's go-to spots were too rough to work.

Before Irene everyone was wondering what this storm would do to the bass fishing. We now know that it had little effect on the fishing. After a day, stripers were biting well, and some big bluefish were pushed in. This week's Noreaster was another story. Dirty water, lots of cold fresh water, and a big heave shut the fishing off like a light switch. On the few trips we managed to get in, we had to work hard for fish. Over the weekend we experienced the left over swells from hurricane Katia. The bass and blues will come back when things settle down.

The skies were clear and the stars are shining on Friday morning. There was some fog when the Skipper got to dock, but there was still plenty of visibility. However, as soon as the Draggin' Fly cleared the no wake zone in the Back River, the fog rolled in limiting visibility to less than a 1/4mile so Captain Bill hid in the shallows away from the commuter boats. A call to Captain George in Boston confirmed that the pea soup had also engulfed the city so the Boston pickup was pushed back. A little after 7 AM, the fog had lifted enough so that the Draggin' Fly could make her way to the North End where today's guests were waiting. Chris Baker had arranged this light tackle trip for Nick Petri and his friend Adam. Once the crew was on board, Captain Bill headed to the shallow waters of Quincy Bay where Chris hooked up on his first cast. This was a nice bluefish that Chris caught on a Zoom jerk bait. When only one more fish was jumped, the Skipper decided to change tactics and jig the rip at Hull Gut. On the first drift, Nick hooked a nice bass on a Viif jig. After a quick picture, the 36 inch bass was released. The crew had several more short hits on their jigs, probably from black sea bass before Nick hooked another bass. While smaller, it still was over 30 inches. Adam was next and his was a nice sized sea bass. On the way back to Boston, there were a lot of birds working over bait throughout the Inner Triangle, but few fish were on the bait. In spite of a late start, today's crew experienced a "Harba Slam": bluefish, striped bass, and sea bass. After dropping off Chris and his guests, Captain Bill headed back to dock. And you guessed it, bass and blues had found the bait in the Inner Triangle!

Saturday, the Totterman clan of Arlington was aboard. Today seven-year-old Melina and six year old Magnus were going to fish the junior division of the Catch the Cure Derby. Joining these two young anglers were Dad, Henrik who has fished with the Skipper several times over the past two seasons and Mom, Suvi. Although the Skipper usually avoids killed tournaments because of his strong commitment to striped bass conservation, Captain Bill is a major sponsor of this fishing contest. This event raises money for the Michael J. Fox Foundation's fight to cure Parkinson's disease. Juniors are not eligible for cash prizes so they do not need to kill fish to be eligible for prizes. Melina and Magnus had fished for pike in a home waters of Finland so young they are experienced casters. While Suvi worked with the Melina, Henrik worked with Magnus. The crew had a few chances at a small pod of bass working bait on the surface in the Fore River but could not get a lure into them. The next stop at the rip off of Hull Gut produced a few takes and a solid hook up by Magnus. But all of that the crew had the show was a scale from a fouled hooked fish. A quick check of the Anchorage and the Inner Triangle found no working schools. It was back to the shallows where several boats were trolling without success. The Skipper had one more spot to check, a rock pile inside the Fore River. Here Magnus got a hook into another bass. This one did not come unbuttoned. After a quick photo for the tournament, Magus and his sister released the fish. The Tottermans will be back again next year.

Captain George fished on Tuesday and Wednesday. He reported that Tuesday was very slow but on Wednesday there was a good bite in the Inner Triangle with both bass and blues crashing bait.

Thursday, Draggin' Fly regular, David Deitz of Sharon met Captain Bill just after dawn. Followers of this report should be quite familiar with David's exploits with a fly rod. Today, he was interested in hunting large bluefish as well as bass. At the first stop in Quincy Bay only one fish was jumped; it was a big bass that swirled on a plastic jerk bait. A call from a fellow skipper had the Draggin' Fly heading to the Inner Triangle. The bass had bait pinned on the surface just off the rocks in the Lower Middle Channel. David used a Crease fly to catch his fish and the Skipper worked a Bass Assassin with good success. This bite didn't last long, but it was long enough to pick up some nice bass up to 35 inches. The Skipper decided to check the North Channel and found some fish. But there were just too many boats trolling through the school and others running and gunning for Captain Bill to position the boat so that David could get a fly into the fish. With just a slight breeze from the east and low water, conditions were right for hunting fish in the skinny water of Quincy Bay. The first fish that were hooked were bluefish, with the largest stretching the tape to 34 inches. David used a beast master in 3 to 4 feet of water to get their attention. Captain Bill spotted some big bass working the shallows. Three fish were turned, but only one was hooked. Once these fish disappeared, David wanted to try for sea bass. However, today there were no black bass holding in the rip at Hull Gut but...and it's a big but...the rip was loaded with bass. For the next hour, David and Captain Bill caught and released bass from 30 to 34 inches on every drift through the rip. Today was another chapter in David's ongoing "harba adventures".

Friday, Frank Sannella of Scituate woke is seven-year-old son, Jake in the dark to meet Captain Bill at dawn. Frank had also been without power since the hurricane so he and the Skipper had some interesting tales to share. This morning, there was no dawn bite in the Inner Triangle so the Skipper headed to the North Channel. By the time the Draggin' Fly got there, a large fleet had already gathered. At first there were more bait and birds than fish. It was impossible to work soft surface lures because the birds would pick them up on every cast. Once Frank and the Skipper switched to jigs, they were into fish. While must most of the other boats chased birds or trolled umbrella rigs, Captain Bill position the Draggin' Fly to drift the edge of the channel so that Frank could fish the shallow edge. Until the tide was lost, Frank and Jake caught bass on every drift...yes every drift, while the other boats just picked at them. And the fish were large, none smaller than 30 inches and some pushing 3 feet. On the turn of the tide, Captain Bill headed to the rip off a Hull Gut where he had good success the previous day. It took only one drift the Skipper to find the fish. Today the fish were in front of the rip. Frank worked with young Jake to land some big bass swimming jigs. The crew left the fish so that Frank and Jake could make their hockey game.
The Sannellas were obviously top rods in the harbor on this day.

Captain Bill does not fish over the Labor Day weekend. Even though there are a few more weeks of summer, many look at this weekend as the traditional last weekend of the summer season. There is just too much traffic to fish the way the Skipper likes. Friday was busy enough for Captain Bill!

Monday's forecast for morning rain and gusty wind forced the cancelation of the annual trip with the Rosnock family. Captain Bill talked to the Dad the night before and made the decision to scrub the trip. This is the second year in a row that Rosnock's August trip had to be canceled.

Tuesday, fly fisher Tom Lalibity of Duxbury met Captain Bill just after dawn. There was more northwest wind than forecasted so Captain Bill decided against fishing the shallows and instead headed to the Inner Triangle. There was a quick surface bite on Governor's Flats, but it was already over when the Draggin' Fly got there. There was plenty of bait all around Castle Island but no fish were on it. Captain Bill worked along the shoreline at Thomson Island where he had found fish on previous trips. Today not a fish was raised. Captain George called about a bite in Hingham. Again this was shot lived. A fish was hooked in Hull Gut but the hook pulled before it could be landed. When the wind laid down, it was time to hunt the shallow. A few bass came up on soft jerk baits worked in 3 to 4 feet of water. These were just window shopping -- it was bluefish that attacked the lures. On the way back to dock, the Skipper spotted some activity tight to Peddocks Island. Tom and the Skipper had a few shots at some big bass but could not turn a fish. These bass were so keyed into the bait they were chasing no artificial lure would get their attention. It was time to give this round to the fish!

Wednesday, Frank Sannella of Scituate met Captain Bill before dawn. The plan was to scout on their way to Boston to pick up Frank's guests, Terry and Jack Wilby who were visiting from England. Terry and Jack fished with the Skipper during last year's Thompson/Reuters fish-off. Terry won the top rod award for catching and releasing a monstrous bass. This year though the Wilbys would have to work harder for their fish... but not as hard as those of the previous day trip. On the way to fish Dorchester Bay, a school of pogies was jumped. The Skipper decided to grab a few for insurance. When the crew was snagging, twice big bass came up and exploded on the pogies. Once the crew had six live ones in the well, the Draggin' Fly headed to Governor's Flats. The crew jumped a small pod of bass. Frank can swim a jig as well as anyone who fishes with the Skipper hooked a nice bass and handed off the rod to Jack, who battled a nice 32 inch bass to the boat. When the Skipper rigged a live pogy and sent it over, several big bass began to play with it. While this was exciting to watch, it frustrated Captain Bill because none would eat it. The crew spotted a bite off the Castle Island and a call from Captain George confirmed it. Terry had the first fish, a feisty blue to the boat in short order. When the fish came up again, the entire crew including Captain Bill hooked up with bass up to 30 inches and another big bluefish. As these fish yo-yoed, the crew had a shot or two at them before they disappear. The wind continued to build so was time to head to Boston to drop-off Terry and Jack who were flying back to England later in the day.

The forecast for Thursday did not look too promising. But today's guest fly fisher, David Deitz of Sharon and Captain Bill decided to wait until the morning before scrubbing the trip. When the Skipper checked the computer in the morning he saw that the isobars on the wind chart were not packed together so there would be a small window to get out. A quick call had David on his way, and the Draggin' Fly was off to dock by 6 AM. Given the direction of the wind, Captain Bill decided to check out Hingham and Hull to see if the bait had blown in before heading out. This proved to a very good move because the fish were there. The Draggin' Fly never left Hull Bay and David was into fish all morning. David used a lavender Clouser and put a real hurtin'on these fish. The Skipper used soft jerk baits and caught fish, but David out-fished him. Once Captain Bill switched to a small jig, he closed the gap. Despite the wind, this morning proved to be the most interesting trip of the year. David and the Skipper caught a few bluefish up to 8 pounds, several bass (none smaller than legal size), and the first ever fluke, a 6 pound fish... this completed the Harbor Grand Slam…and there was not another boat in sight. With the wind now cranking over 20 miles an hour and the seas building to 4 footers, it was time to head back to dock.

Friday, Dr. Frank Farraye of Medfield arranged to take his three first year fellows from the Boston Medical Center on a light tackle trip, something he has been doing for several years. Joining Frank were Adam Berg, Sun Dai, and Joann Kwah. Captain Bill headed right to Hull where he had that big bite the day before. However, this morning there was nothing…no bait and no fish. The next stop off Quincy looked more promising. There was a small pod of bass working bait, but the crew could not turn the fish on the surface. The Skipper rigged with jigs and Sun was the first to hook up on his first ever fish. And this was no small fish. It was big and angry: this cow emptied the spool like a runaway freight train. Sun stopped the fish and for a shot time and had it coming back, only to have the hook pull when it made another big run. Sun was soon tight to another bass and this one he landed. After a quick picture, a nice 30 inch bass was released. The next stop in Quincy Bay also looked promising, as gulls were working over bait, but there were very few fish. The crew headed to the Inner Triangle where they got into a nice surface bite off Spectacle Island. Frank, who can work surface lures with the best of them, coached the fellows and they were soon hooked up. Adam caught and released his first bass on a Zoom jerk bait. Joann got her 30 inch bass swimming a jig. At one point, all four anglers were battling bass at the same time. This kept the Skipper and Frank very busy keeping lines separated and unhooking fish. After these fish broke up, Captain Bill found another bite inside Dorchester Bay. While most of these fish were bass, there were enough bluefish in the mix to keep Captain Bill busy re-rigging lines. Dr. Frank and his fellows had some interesting tales to share about their Harbor adventure over lunch at the Clam Box.

Saturday, Tim Wern of Connecticut arranged the light tackle trip for his dad, David, and his 11-year-old son, Jake. The Wern family makes an annual trip to fish the harbor and catch a Red Sox game. Last year, an approaching hurricane, Earl forced not only the cancellation of the fishing trip but also the Red Sox game. Today, the Werns would be fishing right in front of Hurricane Irene. The Red Sox pushed the start of the game to noon so the crew had a limited time to catch fish. With little wind and low water, the Skipper decided to hunt the shallow. The first stop failed to produce but in Quincy their luck changed. The first attack came as the Draggin' Fly drifted in 4 feet of water. This was a bluefish that tore up the soft plastic bait. The Skipper decided to play the odds and stay with fluorocarbon leaders. When the boat was re-positioned in even shallower water, Tim hooked a big fish on a Bass Assassin. When he got it near the boat, the fish took to the air revealing itself, a big blue. After a quick picture, Tim released his 34 inch bluefish. On the next drift, Jake was tight to a hot fish that ran him very deep into the spool. Jake was able to turn the fish and work it back to the boat. As the skipper grabbed the leader, the hook slipped out and a nice 37-38 inch bass waved goodbye....this was a bimini release, a term coined from big-game tournament fishing where once the leader is touched the fish is considered caught! On the next drift, the entire crew brought fish up on their lure. These fish swirled and followed the lures but would not attack. Finally, Jake hooked another bass on his soft jerk bait. When these fish disappeared and with time running out, the Draggin' Fly headed to the Inner Triangle. There were a lot of boats but nothing was happening. The water was also very dirty, with weed everywhere. The Skipper headed to Dorchester Bay hoping for better water. The water was clean but no fish were raised. It was time to get the crew back to dock so that they could make the big game and the skipper could get the Draggin' Fly buttoned up for the approaching hurricane.

Captain Bill was experiencing withdraw having to be off the water for two days in a row. That's the longest stretch that he has not been out chasing the fish in almost 2 months. Sunday it was heavy rain and gusty winds that kept the Draggin' Fly at dock. Monday the rain cleared by early morning. However, thick fog settled in on the Harbor making it unsafe to push off the dock. Besides dodging the commuter boats in the fog, it would be difficult finding any surface action.

Tuesday Jay Hoffman of Marshfield, a Draggin' Fly regular invited Rodney Clark of Mattapoisett to join him for a morning of light tackle fishing. This was the second trip in as many weeks for Jay. It didn't take long for the crew to find fish because within minutes of clearing the no wake, the crew was casting to breaking fish just outside of Nut Island. It was very difficult to get any attention on surface lures. However, when the crew switched to jigs they were into fish. Rod was the first to hookup and landed a nice bass of about 30 inches. The second fish also came on Rodney's jig. When the fish erupted around the boat, Rod and Jay switched back to soft jerk baits and soon doubled up. Jay's was the biggest at 32 inches and Rod release another 30 inch fish. Jay hooked another bass before the tide let go and this was bigger. His next fish was a very strong fish that he worked back to the boat. This one was just about 3 feet. At slack water, this bite was over so Captain Bill headed to hunt the shallows. There was just enough chop from the changing wind to make this unproductive. The next stop was to explore the Inner Triangle, where the crew found scattered pods of fish. Occasionally the fish were up on the surface for a few moments but the increasing east wind made it to difficult for the Skipper to get on them. It was time to call it a day.

Bing Fishman and his wife Betty Ann of Manchester By the Sea had a late night on Tuesday so it was a late start on Wednesday. Those who follow the exploits of Captain Bill and the Draggin' Fly know that he likes to be on the water by dawn. Captain Bill's wife Mary was also on board for this light tackle trip. Bing was the east coast factory rep for the Grady White boat line for decades before he retired last year. The plan was to spend a few hours on the water so the Fishman's could experience "the Lure of the Harba". Today's late start didn't seem to matter much as the crew was casting to breaking fish within minutes of clearing the no wake zone. While the ladies used jigs, the Skipper and Bing used soft plastics worked on the surface. Bing hooked up the first bass and Betty Ann was quick to follow. She caught her fish swimming a Vivif jig. Mary hooked up at the same time for the first double of the morning. This scene would be repeated for the next hour and a half. There were several doubles causing the crew to have to do the bass dance and keeping the Skipper busy in the cockpit. Two fish were kept for the grill and all others were released. The biggest pushed the 3 foot mark. After this bite ended, Captain Bill headed to the Inner Triangle to catch the tail end of the tide. Just off the shoreline of Thompson's Island, Mary caught and released a nice bass. When the tide went slack, the fish were off the feed. After touring the Harbor Islands, it was time for the Draggin'Fly to head to dock. It was an exciting morning on Boston Harbor.

On Thursday, Frank Cheverie met Captain Bill before dawn for his third trip of the season. Joining Frank was Rob Rowland and Tom Reynolds. Rob has also finished with the Skipper several times and has caught some real trophies. This was Tom's first trip so he had to learn the technique of twitching soft jerk baits. There was no dawn surface bite so the Skipper decided to hunt the shallows. And this proved to be a very wise move. While several of Captain Bill's friends searched from Hull to Boston for surface activity, the Draggin' Fly crew caught several bass twitching soft plastic jerk baits in very skinny water. Frank was the first to hook up and Rob was right on his tail. If the boys could have gotten the hook into every fish, the count would have been in double digits. But, many fish and some really big ones exploded on the lures and missed the hook. Captain Bill worked with Tom to teach him how to work these unique lures. The Skipper missed every fish he brought up... the rookie actually outfished him. A call from Capt. George told of the surface bite in Quincy Bay so it was time to head there. Unlike yesterdays bite that literally went on for hours, the fish stayed on the surface for only a minute or two. This was true at every stop. No matter what Captain Bill did the crew only had a cast or two to the try to hook up before the fish were hundreds of yards away. The big northwest wind also worked against the crew. The last chance was back in Quincy with the fish exploding on the surface. But Captain Bill could not maneuver the boat around the fleet to get on the fish. It was time to admit defeat and make plans for the next trip in September.

Friday the Belton clan from Abington met Captain Bill at dawn for a light tackle trip. On board would Dad Mike and his two sons 14-year-old James and 11-year-old Mike. Back at the beginning of July this same crew had a great start and were into a major blitz when fog and then a thunderstorm put an early end to that trip. Today, there was a big school of bass in the Inner Triangle, but once again they proved difficult to catch. Young Mike used a Vivif to catch his first bass ever. James and Dad used Bass Assassins and Zoom jerk baits to catch their fish. Young Mike landed the biggest bass a 30 inch fish. As more boats got on the fish, the harder it became to get them to take a lure. Captain Bill decided to join Capt. George who was on a bluefish bite offshore. This was supposed to be a half a day charter, but Capt. George said the bite was awesome. And it proved to be. As James took the helm the Draggin' Fly, the skipper re-rigged to wire and within minutes of arriving at the Fairway buoy the crew was into serious fish. For the next two hours, the crew kept Captain Bill very busy. Many times two anglers were hooked up at the same time and there were also several triples. James earned bragging rights with his 38 inch bluefish, but Young Mike caught dinner, a 32 inch bass. Most of the blues were in the 10-12 range but some pushed 15 pounds. It was quite a morning with enough action that young slept on the way home.

Saturday was a full boat as Paul Ponichera of Hingham organized a light tackle trip. Joining the crew were Andy Reed of Hingham and Bob Kizelewicz of Holbrook, of Holbrook along with his son Rob. It was a very early pre-dawn start because the Draggin' Fly had to get off the dock before the bottom of the minus tide. Today, Captain Bill decided to hunt the shallow waters which proved to be a very wise decision. While several of the Skipper's friends search for surface bites from Boston to Revere, the Draggin' Fly crew was into fish. Bob landed the first bass of the morning on a Zoom jerk bait. And Andy hooked up almost immediately, and this was a much larger fish. Andy released a 32 inch bass that inhaled a Bass Assassin which he twitched in 3 feet of water. Meanwhile, Paul hooked up on a hot fish on his Bass Assassin. This fish exhibited every characteristics of a big bass in shallow water, using its big body to resist the pressure Paul was putting on her. The crew was really surprised when Paul worked the fish back to the boat and saw a monstrous bluefish. After a few measurements and a photograph, Paul released the biggest bluefish he ever caught, a 37 inch blue. Rob was casting from the upper deck and spotted several other fish, but none took a lure. Captain Bill moved to the next spot but found no fish. At the next location, both Rob and Paul hooked up almost immediately. This scene was to be repeated several times over the next hour. While most of these fish were on the small side, some pushed 36 inches. Meanwhile, the other boats found no surface bite so the Skipper decided to fish a few other structured spots in the Inner Triangle so that he could keep an eye out for surface activity. Bob landed a nice bass in the rocks along Spectacle Island and Paul brought up a few other fish. At times, the fish would come to the surface in small pods just off of the island but they were impossible to get on. Finally late morning, the fish came up toff Castle Island and the crew caught some nice fish. But with the wakes from the passing boats and the running and gunning of those who were trying to keep on the school was making for some very rough water. It was very difficult for Captain Bill to position the boat so the Skipper decided that he would run back into Hingham to see if there was any kind of a bite. Talk about being hit by a horseshoe... it was a major bite just off Sheep Island. While this bite only lasted 20 minutes, there were several multiple hookups including a triple. It was a great way to end the morning. Paul and Bob return next week to do battle again!

Sunday, Frank Farraye of Medfield and David Deitz of Sharon were aboard for their next "Harba" adventure. Joining these Draggin' Fly regulars was Brian Taft of Foxboro. After yesterday, Captain Bill had no idea what to expect, but the plans for the day included hunting the shallows in the pre-dawn hours. It didn't take long for the Skipper to find fish. These first fish were bluefish that made a mess of the soft plastic jerk baits that Frank and Brian were casting. Rather than rigging with wire, Captain Bill decided to move into even shallower water. Within a few casts, Brian was tight to the first bass of the day, which measured 32 inches. On the next drift, both Brian and Frank hooked up. Brian's fish was a big bluefish that was photographed and release. Frank's was a big bass that fought hard against the drag...well, at least until the hook pulled. It was the rookie Brian who caught the next few bass. When the sun came up, the fish moved out. It was time to explore. It was also the time for David to switch to spinning tackle. Today, the fish showed no interest in flies. Captain Bill headed to another one of his shallow water spots. And this one held a bonanza... bass of all sizes from schoolies to the big cows. For the next hour and a half, the crew worked Bass Assassins and Zoom baits in the skinny water to catch and release several bass up to 36 inches. David hooked a monster that he could just hang onto. Another line got tangled on David's line as it was being cleared and the fish became just another story. When the fish moved out, it was time to head to the Inner Triangle. The fish came up the off Spectacle Island late morning, and while Captain Bill maneuvered the boat around a growing fleet of boats, the crew worked jerk baits into the school breaking fish. There were several doubles and even a triple before the school broke up. It was another exciting morning of Boston, and another chapter in Frank's and David's fishing adventures in Boston Harbor.

Monday, Ron and Barbara Guagenti from Chicago booked their second trip in as many years. Even though the Guagentis are from the Windy City, they are Red Sox fans who make an annual pilgrimage to Fenway Park. Captain Bill passed a big bite in Quincy Bay on his way to Boston for a 6 AM pick-up. Once the crew was on board, the Draggin' Fly headed back to Quincy Bay. The surface bite was sporadic, but Ron managed to get a few nice bass on soft jerk baits. When the fish went down, Captain Bill showed Ron how to swim a jig. Obviously, Ron is a fast learner because he quickly hooked a big bass that stripped a bunch of line against the heavy drag. As Ron worked the fish back to the boat, the crew saw a huge bass, which sounded. After the fish was worked back to the surface, the Skipper made the grab and had the fish. After the fish was measured and pictures taken, Ron released a trophy bass. After the tide turned, the fish stayed on the surface for the longer, but they will more difficult to catch. However, as more tide began to pull, the fish settled down and both Ron and Bob caught some nice bass, mostly in the 30 to 32 inch range. Although Barbs biggest was not as large as Hubby's, her 36 inch bass was more than respectable. It was another great day of "Harba" fishing.


Tuesday, Damon Reed made the long haul down from Vermont to meet Captain Bill before dawn. Damon has been fishing with the skipper for as long as Captain Bill has been back in Boston. Today's plan was to target big bass on the fly rod. Damon had a nine weight fly rod rigged with a floating line to fish a small herring pattern, one of his own fly designs. He also had another reel rigged with an Air Flow Express sinking line, which was needed on this trip because all fishing was on the surface. It didn't take long for Captain Bill to find some fish. Within minutes of clearing the no wake zone, Damon was casting to bass breaking on the surface. On his first five casts, Damon hooked and landed 4 bass up to 32 inches. These fish were in the shallow water in a small cove inside of Quincy Bay. When the sun came up, the fish moved out into the Bay. They were harder to get on, but Damon and the Skipper still managed to catch several more before the school broke up. Capt. Frank called from the outer islands to tell of another bite. The Draggin' Fly headed out to Green Island where they caught the end of the bite. After the tide turned, the fish came back up in Quincy Bay. At first the Skipper was able to stay away from the fleet and still keep Damon on the fish. These fish were much harder to hook on a fly, but they readily took the soft jerk bait that Captain Bill was working. After the fish broke up, it was time to join the fleet. Damon and the Skipper spent the next half hour trying to work in and around boats that were casting, trolling, and live baiting. A few more fish were caught including a large bluefish before the decision was made to head to dock. It was another great morning of bass fishing in the "Harba".

Wednesday was a day of maintenance. Captain George told of a good dawn bite and he had plenty of action until the tide let go.

Thursday, David Deitz of Sharon and Frank Farraye of Medfield met Captain Bill before dawn. Within minutes of clearing the no wake zone, the crew was casting to breaking bass in very shallow water. David favorites the fly rod and was using a Gurgler. Frank a light tackle enthusiast was casting soft jerk baits. David hooked two nice bass on his fly; and Frank brought up several and got the hook into four nice bass before they moved out of the shallow water. When will they moved into the Bay, the boats found the fish because there were now a lot of birds on the school. Frank hooked several nice bass on his jerk bait. David switched to a Beast Master fly and brought up several fish. But they missed the hook. The Skipper suggested that he switch to a herring pattern and fish it on a sinking line. This was the right combination and David was back into fish. Once this bite was over, the Draggin' Fly headed inside to the Inner Triangle where there was another bite. David and Frank caught a few more fish before the tide let go. At slack low, it was time to head to the shallows and hunt fish. Frank brought up several fish on a Bass Assassin, but it was David who got the hook into a hot fish. When he got it near the boat, the fish took to the air and danced on the surface…a big bluefish is what David landed! Once the tide began to pull, the crew headed to the Outer Islands. There was a good bite by Green Island. One these fish broke up, Captain Bill headed back to Quincy Bay. However the fish were slowed coming up and when they finally did they were hard to catch. But both David and Frank hooked a few more bass before the school broke up. It was a great way to end an exciting morning.

Friday, Dan Fallon of New Hampshire invited Brian McLaughlin and Guy Nichols to share a light trip on Boston Harbor. These anglers make friendly wages on the first fish and the biggest fish something that they have been doing ever since they started fishing on the Draggin' Fly. Captain Bill was designated as the official referee, and no matter how much money was waved at him, he would keep everything honest.Today at dawn, there were no fish in Quincy Bay so Captain Bill decided to check out the Inner Triangle.The Skipper found a good bite at Western Way and the crew was soon doing the bass dance. There were several doubles and more than one time all three anglers were hooked up at the same time! The Skipper was kept very busy unhooking fish and re-rigging. When the fish broke up, Captain Bill found another quick bite back inside. At slack water, the crew headed to the shallows to hunt fish and jumped several…some had teeth and others had stripes. Then the crew checked a few other spots, but today the fish were not there. It was time to head back to dock with memories of a good day of 'Harba' fishing. This year, Dan landed a 34 inch bluefish and a bass of similar size to take the pool for the day.

Saturday, Aaron Morris a BC law students arranged a light tackle trip for his dad, David and his brother, Nate, who were visiting from Colorado. Aaron fished with Captain Bill a few weeks back during the Sadden outing. When Captain Bill was crossing the harbor to make the Boston pickup, a bite was just beginning in Dorchester Bay. However, by the time the crew got back to this area, the bite was already over. A friend of the Skipper said that the fish had bait trapped up against Thomson Island and then just disappeared. The fish came up for a very short time in the Bay but Captain Bill could never get the Draggin' Fly positioned to get the crew onto these fish. The Skipper looked in several other areas where he had fish for much of the week, but they too were dry. It was time to fish the structure. Nate landed the first bass of the day swimming in Berkeley Jerk Shad in shallow water along Long Island. A Bass Assassin was also attacked but this one bore the signs of a bluefish. …it came back cut in two. David hooked a very big fish in Hull Gut that he could not stop. Captain Bill gave chase, but the 30 pounds power Pro was spooled before he could work around the other boats. In the shadows of Quincy Bay, the crew worked several areas, but none of them held any fish. On the way back to Boston, the crew saw plenty of bait inside the Inner Triangle, but there were no fish. Unfortunately, these visiting anglers experienced the slowest fishing of the year but had a beautiful morning to see the sights of Boston Harbor. Captains Tom summed it up best when he told the Skipper "It's hard to believe what a difference a day can make."

Sunday, the weather forced the cancellation of another one of Frank Farraye's trips. The forecast was for heavy rain and strong wind. The rain was light but persistent and the wind was cranked. Frank will be out three more times this month.

Captain's Report
July 31, 2011

This week's surface bite was as good as anyone has seen…what an end to a month of excellent fishing! It's hard to believe that another month of the 2011 season is in the books and that we are one step closer to fall. But we still have some more summer to fish.

Monday, JT Rosnock of Milton and Rich Torelli of Newton met Captain Bill before dawn. The plan was to fish the shallows before sunrise, but this plan quickly changed when the crew ran into a large school bass tearing up tinker mackerel in Quincy Bay. At first, these fish were difficult to catch, but JT who favors a long rod and Rich who was working soft baits managed to catch a few nice bass. The best part about this bite was there were no other boats working these fish. After the tide turned, the fleet found the Draggin' Fly, but the fish actually stayed on the surface longer. The bait they were feeding on was now small herring. This helped to keep the school together. JT's lavender Half-and-Half really began to produce. Rich switched to a three inch Zoom Super Fluke rigged on a quarter ounce jig head, and he was into some serious fish. For the next hour and a half, JT and Rich kept the Skipper very busy unhooking bass. Then big bluefish moved inside and began to tear up the bait, as well as Captain Bill's tackle. The crew headed to the Inner Triangle where two friends had been on a bass for much of the morning. Just off the Castle Island, JT and Rich were soon doing the bass dance again. This bite lasted until the end of the tide. JT and Rich have been fishing on the Draggin' Fly for many years and have had some memorable trips…but this was the best. It was top water action for five hours.

It was a late start on Tuesday as is the Skipper decided to wait until the rain passed to meet the crew. Today Rick Lucas of Pembroke and John "Getch" Getchell of Braintree were aboard for a light tackle adventure. Just outside the no wake zone, the crew saw a few breaking fish but could not get on them. Captain Frank told of a quick dawn bite. Rather than fret about what could have been, the Skipper headed to the Inner Triangle. As the Draggin' Fly past Deer Island Light, a school of bass was tearing up the mackerel. It was a slow start as Rick caught a big bass on a Zoom Super Fluke that dumped three quarters of the spool before it could be stopped. As Rick worked the fish back to the boat, the hook pulled. Meanwhile, Getch hooked a hot fish right of the boat which broke the line. Once the crew settled down, they were into some serious fish. At first, the action was just outside the harbor but the fish moved into the harbor with the tide. Rick and John alternate between swimming jigs and working jerk baits. And both work equally well. Rick decided to try his luck with a popper and when this produce, John also switched over. It was an action packed day of bass fishing on the "Harba". Rick and Getch caught and released dozens of bass up to 36 inches.

Wednesday, Captain Bill left dock before dawn to pick up Chris Baker of South Boston and his guest for the day Brad Saide of Needham. On his way to Boston, the Skipper saw two major bites so once the crew was on board, the Draggin' Fly headed to George's Island. On the first drift, Brett was tight to his first harbor bass. After a quick picture, this 31 inch bass was released. Again today, the fish moved into the Inner Triangle with the tide. For a while, Captain Bill was able to avoid the fleet and keep Chris and Brett into fish. Most of the action was on Zoom Super Flukes and Bass Assassins worked on the surface. Several times, Brad and Chris were hooked up at the same time. As the morning got later, more and more boats moved onto the fish. Several just chased the birds. These anglers use the run and gun approach, throwing wakes on the stationary boats. Captain Bill showed Chris and Brett that there were often fish even when the birds were not working. It was time to deliver of the crew back to Boston, but on the way back, another blitz was going off just off the Castle Island. Chris caught another bass and Brett landed a big bluefish. Both anglers caught and released many bass up to 36 inches.

Thursday, Jay Hoffman on Marshfield invited Joel Peterson of West Roxbury and his daughter Sarah who is visiting from New Orleans to spend the morning on the Draggin' Fly also on board was Len Hawrilenko of Hanover. The crew pushed off at dawn and was treated to a fabulous sunrise...but today there was no dawn bite. The fish did not make their appearance until the tide began to push. When they came up just outside of Deer Island, the birds attracted several other boats. Sarah landed the first fish; her first bass ever was 30 inches. While the rest of the crew struggled to get a hook into fish, Sarah put a real hurtin' on the fish swimming a Vivif jig. Again today, Captain Bill had to work around the fleet to keep within casting distance of the fish. This proved very difficult because several boats were running and gunning. There were even two jet ski anglers who either did not have any angling ethics or were just plain stupid. All morning long, these idiots crashed right into the fish with no regard for anyone else. Once these fish broke up, much of the fleet left. However the fish came back up. This time the entire crew got into the action. Jay who has fish 15 years with the Skipper had a hands-up on the others because he already knew how to work soft jerk baits. But Joel, Len, and Sarah soon figured it out! There were multiple hookups and even two triples during this two hour bite. Bass Assassins were the lure of choice. Each angler took a fish for the grill and released all the others. Sarah's biggest was just about 36 inches. It was another memorable my on the harbor!

Friday, Vinnie Freudenberg of Natick jumped on a late cancellation to fish with Captain Bill. Vinnie was casting to breaking fish in Quincy Bay within minutes of leaving the dock. These fish were very difficult to turn, but Vinnie managed to catch and release three bass up to 32 inches before it was time to find more cooperative fish. There was a huge fleet of boats working the Inner Triangle, but Captain Bill managed to find a school of fish that was not being run over. Action was fast and furious as several bass were taken on Bass Assassins. Once the fleet moved onto these fish, Captain Bill headed to another bite. The Skipper knew most of other boats, and everyone gave each other plenty of room here. The fish had bait trapped along Spectacle Island.Vinnie and the Skipper had multiple hook-ups. After these fish broke up, Captain Bill found another blitz in Dorchester Bay and within minutes Vinnie was back into fish.This was a serious bite that lasted for an hour and a half. Vinnie and Captain Bill caught and released numerous bass on both Bass Assassins and Zoom Super Flukes. Before it was time to head back to dock, Vinnie had his bass and bluefish for the grill and released numerous others. The biggest bass was just shy of 40 inches and the biggest bluefish was 34 inches. This was Vinnie's sixth trip of the season and probably the best!

Saturday, Henrik Totterman of Arlington was back for another try. For those who regularly follow the espoits of the Draggin' Fly, Henrik was out last week and Captain Bill most of the morning avoiding the thundershowers that fueled by a warm moist airmast, some of which were severe. Again today, there was a bite in Quincy Bay. However there were more than 25 boats jockeying to get on the school. Captain Bill was able to get the Draggin' Fly in front of the school, and Henrik was soon tight to nice bass that inhaled a Bass Assassin. This 31 inch bass was taken for the grill. Henrik's next two fish were taken swimming a jig. Once the tide began to pull, the fish came up on the surface for longer, but the fleet was also growing. Captain Bill decided to head to the Inner Triangle, and yes there were fish... and more boats. There was also a lot of wind that had kicked up 3 to 4 foot seas. Henrik caught and released another bass on the soft jerk bait. Several other bass crashed on the lure but none found the hook. The Skipper concluded that surface lures just couldn't be work properly in the heavy wind and big seas. And the bass would not even hit a jig. Henrik told Captain Bill the crashing fish, the bait balls, and the flocks of birds was an awesome sight . Henrik had one more shot back in Quincy Bay. However these fish were also broken up by the wind. Henrik will return later in the season for his next "Harba" adventure.

Monday Vinnie Fruedenberg of Natick hosted a light tackle trip with Dr. Carlo Brugnara and Dr Nader Rifai and his teenage son Sammy. Captain Bill explained that the strong wind was going to make for some difficult fishing conditions. The wind would also limit where the crew could fish, and there would be no sight fishing in the shallows. The Skipper headed to Deer Island which had held some bait over the past several days. Surprisingly, the wind was not as strong as it was inside. Captain Bill gave the guests quick casting lessons and within minutes, Nader was hooked up. Carlos made it a double and a third fish was dropped. After a quick photo, the crew was on fish again. They had several more opportunities but the hook never connected. After checking the Outer Harbor, the Skipper decided that since most low-water areas were unfishable because of the heavy wind, he would try the airport and fish the approach channels. The sonar showed plenty of bait and some pods of bass. However these fish refuse to hit anything the crew presented so the Draggin' Fly headed back to Quincy Bay, where several times the fish attacked bait on the surface. But these fish were almost impossible to get on because they were only up on the surface for a matter of minutes. When the fish went down, Captain Bill had the crew switched to jigs. Sammy was the only one to hook-up but that fish got off just as he had it boat side. The Skipper was monitoring the weather radar on his cell phone. With rain approaching Boston, it was time to head back to dock.

Tuesday, Mike Callahan rushed from his home in Connecticut in the middle of the night to Logan Airport to pick up Paul Miner, who flew in from Michigan to fish the "Harba"…now that's a true friend! Today, there was no dawn bite so Captain Bill headed back to Quincy Bay where there were scattered pods of bass. Paul landed his first striped bass swimming a jig along the rip. The Skipper decided it was time to hunt the shallow, and it didn't take long to find fish. Once Mike put on a pair of Captain Bill's Coast Del Mar sunglasses, he worked from the upper deck to help spot fish. Both Mike and Paul turned several bass on soft jerk baits. Although these fish were more aggressive than they had been on previous trips, they were still finicky and difficult to get to hook. Mike finally hooked up on a nice bass that put on a good battle in the shallow water. After a quick photo, Mike released the 30 inch bass. Within a few minutes, Mike was tight again to another nice bass. Meanwhile, Paul also hooked up on a hot fish, but the fish came unbutton. The crew lost these fish at low water so the Draggin' Fly headed to the airport to see if these fish would be more cooperative than they had been the previous day. The fish were still there…and they still had locked jaw. Even the commercial fishermen who were trolling live bait could not get their interest. When a bass refuses a live mackerel and a live pogy, it's almost certain they were not going to eat plastic. The fish finally came up in Quincy Bay when the crew got back. Mike got the hook into three and landed two of them. Paul hooked two and landed one. Mike will be back in September and Paul is already trying to figure out a way to get back this season.

Wednesday, Chris Baker of South Boston and invited Justin Glucksman also of Boston to share light tackle trip. After picking up in the North End, Captain Bill headed right to the shallows. With calm winds and the last of the outgoing tide, conditions were ideal for hunting skinny water.It didn't take long because Justin hooked up on a hot fish of the first draft. Once the fish was worked back to the boat, the crew could see it was a big bluefish. Captain Bill made the grab, and with Chris's assistance, a picture was taken and the fish was released. Justin likes eating bluefish but this 34 inch, 14 pounder was too big for his liking. Just as the Skipper had the cockpit cleaned, Chris hooked up and this also proved to be a big bluefish. As more was pused on the falling tide, Justin and Chris started to see more fish. Although Justin landed another blue, the fish the crew were sighting were mostly bass and some really big ones were in the mix. These fish would follow and even swirl on the soft jerk baits that were being present. But time and again, they refused to attack. Chris finally had a big bass crash on his Assassin that left a large hole in the water as it slapped its tail on the water making its escape. These big bass often take in a lot of water as they grab the lure, which is pushed out without the hook penetrating as the water is released. At slack water these fish disappeared. Captain Bill headed back to Quincy Bay, where there was a quick surface blitz. Chris caught and release two bass swimming a jig and Justin missed a few on a jerk bait. As quickly as this surface bite started, it was over. Chris has two more trips planned next week.

Thursday's charter with Vinnie Fruedenberg of Natick was canceled because of the small craft advisory for heavy wind.

Friday was the annual Skadden fish-off. The downtown law firm of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom has been doing a multi-boat fun day for over a decade. Joining the Draggin' Fly were Captain Gene on Irish Ayes, Captain George on Land Fish, and Captain Tom on Roccus. Since this event did not start until 7 AM, Capt. Tom and the Skipper did some pre-fishing. There was a major blitz when they got to Quincy Bay. Captain Bill caught two bass over 30 inches on four casts. Continuing onto Boston, there was another major bite going on in the Inner Triangle. Today's crew was Deidre Arnold, Aaron Morris, and Ken Burdon. Once everyone was settled, Captain Bill gave a quick lesson on how to work the surface baits that they would be using and headed back to the Triangle. But this bite was over by the time the crew got there. Captain Bill continued on to Quincy Bay. As soon as they crew arrived, the fish erupted all around the boat. But... and it's a big but, the fish refused to eat. Once the other boats arrive, they experienced the same. These fish were so keyed in on herring, they would not chase the artificals that the boats were casting. Even when Captain Bill got the boat right onto blitzing fish, the crew had no luck. So it was time to find more cooperative fish. Back in the Inner Triangle, the crew watched the Coast Guard's training schooner, the Eagle, being escorted into the harbor. In the shallow water of Long Island, the crew was soon doing the bass dance when all three anglers were on at the same time. Ken hooked the first fish on a Zoom jerk bait. Aaron made it a double on a Bass Assassin. Deidre hooked her fish swimming a Vivif jig. Aaron and Ken caught and released a few bass before the fish disappeared. After this bite, the Skipper wanted to poke around the shallows. However, the wind switched to the northwest so there was just too much chop to hunt the skinny water. The fish was still yo-yoing in Quincy Bay so Captain Bill headed to a ledge in the Inner Triangle that holds fish in this wind. The Skipper switched the crew over to swimming jigs. And this was the trick, as six more bass were caught up to 32 inches. Deidre, Ken, and Aaron had bragging rights as top rods on this adventure.

Saturday, Captain Bill picked up Henrik Totterman of Arlington in the North End. This morning there was no bite in the Inner Triangle so Captain Bill headed back to Quincy Bay, which from his ride over this morning he knew was loaded with bait. There were scattered pods of fish, but they were almost impossible to get on. Looking back at the city, Henrik and the Skipper saw black skies. A quick check of the radar apps on the cell phone confirmed that strong thundershowers were in the area. Captain Bill checks the radar before leaving his house for the dock, and it was clear at 4 AM. There was no mention of morning rain in any forecast. A friend called about a big bite on the North Shore, but there was no way, given the weather situation to get there safely. It was a tough day because the weather really limited where the Skipper could fish and the fish would not cooperate. Henrik finally connected with a nice bass and missed another. The weather was moving in around the Draggin' Fly. Rather than taking a chance of running back into Boston through those thunder boomers, the Skipper decided to head back to dock and drive Henrik to Boston in his truck. It was a wet ride, even for a Finn! Henrik got a chance to see some of the sites on the South Shore. The rain was not over because on ride home from Boston the heavens opened up again.

Sunday, Draggin' Fly regular Frank Farraye met Captain Bill before dawn.Today he brought his daughter, Jen and her boyfriend Chris for some light tackle fishing. Sunrise was spectacular, but there was no dawn bite. After the tide turned, fish became more active. There was a big fleet of boats in Quincy Bay, which made it even harder to get on the fish. These fish were almost impossible to get on because they were only up on the surface for a matter of minutes. Frank is among the best light tackle anglers who fishes with the Skipper and can really work jerk baits. He helped coach Jen and Chris on how to present these baits.The crew managed to land a few fish before heading to the Inner Triangle to try to get away from the rain. Once again this morning, no rain was forecasted but the wet crew will testified that it certainly was over the Draggin' Fly. Fishing along the Long Island shoreline, Frank brought up two bass and got the hook into one. While crew used the bathroom on Spectacle Island, Captain Bill looked around and found several pods of tinker mackerel. After the crew was back on board, the Skipper showed them the bait and explained that if the fish found this bait all hell would break out. Just off the Castle Island, the fish surfaced long enough to pick up a few. Rather than chasing birds, the crew decided to head back inside to hunt the shallow. When the Draggin' Fly turned the corner of Spectacle Island this plan changed, as the bass had found the bait. The fish had the bait trapped along the shoreline. At one time, all three anglers were battling keeper size bass in three feet of water. There were also double headers. The bite did not last long, but Jen, Chris, and Frank caught and released several bass up to 34 inches before the bait made its escape and the bass disappeared. In the shallows, the crew only turned one fish in the shallow before the rain returned, and never got the hook into it…time to call it a day. Jen earned bragging rights for catching and releasing the biggest bass in the day.

Captain's Report
July 17, 2011

Monday, Frank Cheverie met Captain Bill before dawn for his second trip of the season. Joining the crew was Paul Gabriel of Weymouth. It was an amazing sunrise, but the best part was that within minutes of dock, Frank and Paul were doing the bass dance as a large school bass had mackerel trapped just outside the channel. At first, these fish were quite accommodating, but as more boats got onto the school, the harder they became to catch. Captain Bill headed to the North Channel, where he could see plenty of birds and once again the crew was into fish. All action came on soft plastic jerk baits. Capt. George called about a big bite father north so the Skipper decided to join him. For the next two hours, Frank and Paul caught and release many bass up to 36 inches and several alligator blues, including Frank's 38 inch chopper. Captain Bill re-rigged with wire to help save the tackle. After this bite, the Draggin' Fly headed back inside and caught some more bass on both soft jerk baits and jigs. Frank and Paul caught fish at every stop except for one. That's a great day! Frank will be out again next month and Captain Bill is sure that he hasn't seen the last of Paul.

Tuesday, Draggin' Fly regular Vinnie Freudenberg of Natick invited his pal Matt Pimental to share a light tackle trip. This was Vinnie's fifth trip of the season. Bass had bait trapped tight to the rocks in Quincy Bay. There was a strong southwest wind creating a big chop on the water so the fish were a little difficult to sight. Vinnie and Matt caught several good size bass on soft jerk baits before other boats began to move into the area. Once these boats found Draggin' Fly, it was too difficult to stay on these fish so the crew headed offshore. There was a decent bite in the North Channel this morning, and Vinnie and Matt caught a few more bass. Off Winthrop, there was a major bite. Bluefish were in this mix so Captain Bill put on wire liters. But this didn't seem to have any adverse effect on the bass, as Matt and Vinnie caught several bass up to 33 inches before the school broke away. The next stop was back in the North Channel again, Vinnie and Matt were once again doing the bass trot. Then the Skipper spotted a huge flock of birds just inside of the Graves. There was so much bait here that these fish were hard in the hook. But Vinnie and Matt caught several bass up to 3 feet on Zoom jerk baits. On the way back to dock, the crew jumped another school in Quincy Bay, but these fish broke up very quickly. Vinnie and Matt experienced non-stop action throughout the morning...and Vinnie has two more trips scheduled next week.

Wednesday, fly fisher Damon Reed made the 5 hour drive from his home in Vermont. Damon has been fishing with Captain Bill for almost 20 years and over that time, he has had some impressive catches on the long rod. At the first stop, Damon caught and released a 28 inch bass on his first cast. Captain Bill looked out into the outer harbor and saw a sky full of birds so the Draggin' Fly headed out there. It didn't take long for Damon to hook up on another bass. Damon was using a nine weight floating line to deliver a Gurgler to the fish. It also didn't take long for the birds to attract a fleet of boats, and most were of the gun and run mindset. The Skipper tried his best to stay ahead of the fleet and to position the boat so Damon could present his fly. This worked for awhile but both Damon and Captain Bill agreed it was time to give this school to the fleet. Damon hooked a nice bass near the Sisters in Broad Sound but he had a knot in his fly line. While Damon held the fish, the Skipper managed to free the mess and Damon was able to fight the fish. Captain Bill next headed to the Graves, where he had finished the previous day. Today there were fish but nowhere near as many as yesterday. And there were twice as many boats. One 30 inch bass with caught and released before the Draggin' Fly headed back inside to check the Inner Triangle. It was very windy so Damon decided to rest his shoulder and switched to spinning tackle. There were plenty of fish and at times, they were very cooperative. Several bass up to 40 inches were caught and release. The lure of choice was a 7 inch Zoom jerk bait. On the way back to dock, another school of bass was jumping in Quincy Bay. However, unlike the fish in the Inner Triangle these were not as cooperative. Damon returns next month for his next "Harba" adventure.

When Captain Bill got to dock Thursday morning to make the run across the harbor to pick up in Boston, the rain had moved out but the wind was much greater than the 10 mile an hour forecasted. The Skipper headed to Boston and ran head into 2-3 foot seas. He explained to today's guests, Andrew Jay of Charlestown and Chris Yim of Back Bay that the wind would definitely be a factor today. The crew would be limited to where they could fish. There would be no way to fish the offshore areas that Captain Bill has been fishing all week. Surprisingly, there was a decent bite at Hull Gut. This area was not holding fish earlier this week. Both Chris and Jay caught bass on jigs. Then Chris hooked a big fish that pull a lot line against a hard drag. When Chris got the fish to the boat, the crew saw that it was a big bluefish. After this bite, the Draggin' Fly headed back to the Inner Triangle. On the ride Andrew, who is the Director of the Massachusetts Oyster Project explained how this project would help the fishing. And that is something that really interests the Skipper. There were scattered pods of fish but the wind made it difficult to get on these fish and to position the boat so that Andrew and Chris could get a shot at them. The crew managed to hook three more bass and a good size bluefish before the tide went slack. The wind never let go all morning.

Friday was the annual Thomson/Reuters fishing adventure. This year Captain Gene Kelly on the Irish Ayes joined Captain Bill to entertain the guests. Before getting on the boat, the Skipper managed to lose his cell phone…what a start to the day! Frank Sannella and Bob Nelson of Scituate jumped on the Draggin' Fly to do some early scouting. A few large fish were jumped in the shallows and Captain Bill even managed to get a hook into a big one only to have the hook pulled. After picking up the second part of the crew at Liberty Wharf, the Skipper headed back to the shallows. Joining Bob were Howie Cook from New York and Mike Downing of Boston. Jen Rossum and Jen O'Reilly were with Frank on Captain Gene's boat. There was not much happening in the shallows. A check of the Inner Triangle produced the same. The fish finally came up mid-morning in Quincy Bay, but these were very difficult to get on. Howie finally managed to get a hook into one that stuck. The crew had a few more shots before these fish broke up. Captain Bill finished the day chasing fish on Governor's Flats but these fish were also yo-yoing, up and down within minutes. Overall it was a fun day on the Harba but a slow day of fishing.

Saturday was day one of the annual two day charter with Will Gains who travels from his Texas home to fish Boston. Will was joined by fishing buddy and Draggin' Fly regular David Deitz of Sharon. The trip began before dawn with the crew stalking bass in the shallows. David was using a Beast Master fly and brought up several bass. Will's soft jerk baits also got attention. A friend called from the North Shore about a big bite. The crew headed right to this area. For the next three hours, David and Will kept the Skipper busy catching and released MANY big bass up to almost 40 inches. Then monstrous bluefish pushed in on the bait. Will switch to a popper and David tied on an oversized gurgle. Captain Bill also had both anglers add wire leaders. Most of the blues were in the 10 to 14 pound range, but some were even bigger...the biggest measured a little over 38 inches. The crew also witnessed tuna crashing on the surface. And all this action took place just a few miles off the coast of Swampscott. The next stop in Nahant Bay was mostly bass and this bite lasted another hour. On the way back to dock, the crew once again was into a major blitz of bass and blues. David caught his biggest bluefish ever on a fly rod, a 37 inch fat slab! Will who had caught several big bass on his previous harbor trips commented on the way out in the morning that he would like to catch a bluefish. Will certainly got his wish and fill of bluefish today! Captain Bill rarely counts the number of fish the crew catches. But after giving them the half hour warning, the crew caught and released 14 more big fish in that last half hour. It was a marathon day on the Draggin' Fly that lasted nine hours.

Sunday was day two of the Deitz and Gains fishing adventure. Again the trip began with hunting the shallows. It was slow going until slack low-water when the crew jumped a few bait fish. Will actually had one on... for a few seconds! Once the tide turned, it was time to head North. There was a quick bite in the North Channel, but there was also a fleet of boats working these fish. After a few fish, the Draggin' Fly continued north.However, today there was little bait and no fish. These conditions didn't look promising so Captain Bill decided to head back inside. The bite finally started off Winthrop mid-morning. By then the wind was really cranking out of the southwest. When David has to switch over to spinning tackle, you know it is really windy. Bass were mixed in with big blues so it was time to put away the plastic baits and use poppers. There were not as many fish as day one, but this blitz was still intensive. If David and Will were not tired after the first day, they certainly were after another great fishing adventure.

Monday was a late pick up in Boston so Captain Bill decided to fish his way to the city. The first school of bass was jumped just inside Quincy Bay. These were big aggressive fish. The Skipper used Zoom jerk baits to catch and release 3 nice sized bass up to 32 inches. The Inner Triangle was lit up with several pods of bass and many, many birds. After picking up today's guests, Caleb Hudak, Jay Hirsh, and Ted Goff of the North End, the Draggin' Fly headed back to the Triangle. It didn't take long as Jay caught the first bass of the morning on a Bass Assassin. However, there was just too much commuter boat traffic to be able to stay on these fish, which were right in the channel. Captain Bill checked Quincy Bay but that bite was over. A call from Captain Frank had the crew heading to Broad Sound. When the crew arrived, there were scattered pockets of fish and lots of mackerel. Caleb caught the only fish at this spot, a fat 33 inch fish. The crew headed back inside to fish the shallow waters. However today there were few fish so was time to call it a day.

Tuesday, Frank Sannella of Scituate met Captain Bill before dawn for his first of two trips of the week. The plan was to fish their way to Boston to pick up John Reiman of Maine and Howie Cook of New York. Fishing the skinny water just outside of the Draggin' Fly's homeport in the Back River, it didn't take long for Frank to bring up the first fish of the morning. This fish attacked a Bass Assassin. This was repeated several times and while Frank landed fish up to 30 inches, he missed a big mama that attacked right next to the boat.The hook pulled on another big fish. Although neither Captain Bill nor Frank saw the fish, both saw the huge hole in the water that it created as it inhaled a jerk bait. Often time, these big fish mouths fill with water as they grab the lure and the bait is pushed out when the water is released withhold the hook penetrating. The next stop in Quincy produce a few more fish on jigs. Frank likes swimming jigs and is very, very good at this technique. The last stop of the AM part of this trip was off of the Sugar Bowl, which also produced two more bass on jigs. After picking up the second part of the crew at the new Liberty Pier in South Boston, the Skipper headed back to the Inner Triangle, where they caught the tail end of this bite. Howie missed a bass right at the boat that followed his jig from the depths. It was now time to check out Broad Sound, but today there were fewer mackerel in the Sound. It would soon become apparent why. John hooked a big fish that ran hard against the drag. John was able to turn the fish and was working it back to the boat when the fish took to the sky. What the crew saw was a huge head of a monsters bluefish. The fish did not bite through the fluorocarbon leader but the leap allowed enough slack line for the fish to shake the hook. This was the only fish hook in Broad Sound. It was time to try the shallows. On the way, the crew jumped another school bass that had bait trapped against the shoreline, but no one managed to hook up. Today, the shallows were deserted so it was time to get John and Howie back to Boston so they could check out from the hotel and travel home.

Wednesday's trip was scrubbed. Originally scheduled to be with a corporate group whose plan changed at the last moment, Captain Bill reschedule the trip. However, morning thunder boomers forced a change in plans.

Thursday, Peter Gallagher on Norwell invited Joe Grabmeier and his Uncle Joe to share a morning on the harbor. Peter and Joe have been fishing with the Captain Bill for over 12 years. But Uncle Joe was visiting from Michigan and this was his first experience on the Draggin' Fly. Today was an early start for Captain Bill who pushed off of dock in the dark to avoid the minus tide. Once the crew was onboard, the Skipper headed to the shallows. A strong west wind had the water bumped pretty good so it was blind casting. Two fish were raised on soft jerk baits but both missed the hook. In Quincy Bay, a school of bass had bait pinned in very shallow water. But the wind made it difficult for the crew to reach the fish. While Captain Bill maneuvered the boat as close as he could, the crew was able to get casts into the fish and were soon doing the striper dance. Uncle Joe hooked a hot bass and Joe made a double. Peter soon came through for a triple. The crew had a few more chances but did not connect. As the tide began to run, the entire Bay erupted with schools of mackerel. However there were no bass chasing the macks. Uncle Joe jigged up a half dozen tinker mackerel, but the Skipper could find no bass to feed. The west wind was really howling so fishing the shallows was not possible. Surprisingly, Capt. Rob called to report a lack of bait and no fish on the outside. What a strange morning this had been... bait everywhere and few fish!

Frank Sannella fishes with Captain Bill several times a year, often with clients as he did earlier in the week. But Friday it was a family affair. Joining Frank was his 7 year old son, Jake and his brother Scott from New Hampshire. It was a very early start especially for the smallest angler. The first stop failed to produce so Captain Bill headed in to even shallow water. Several bass were brought up on soft plastic jerk baits before Frank looked a hot fish. He worked with little Jake to land and release a fat 33 inch bass. Scott struck next, but this fish had teeth; after a quick picture, this bluefish was also released. Jake and Frank landed another small bass. Just before the end of the tide, both Scott and the Skipper jumped big bass. Scott's leader popped during the savage attack and Capt. Bill's line broke. These fish quit as the tide let go. The crew headed to Quincy Bay, which came alive with the rising tide. The fish didn't stay up for long, but the crew got the hook into a few more bass. Jake caught and released a nice bass…his first all by himself. Captain Bill decided to check the Anchorage, and it was loaded with tinker mackerel. The Skipper rigged two Sabiki rigs to jig bait. Jake and Scott soon had the Sabiki rigs full of mackerel. Jake actually hooked nine mackerel on the same drop. With Frank's help unhooking the bait, it didn't take long to load the bait well. Back inside Quincy Bay the fish had spread out and the few that were jumped had locked jaw. When bass refuses to dine on a live mackerel, you know it's time to call it a day. And that's exactly what the crew did. Jake is now a full-fledged member of Team Draggin' Fly and asked dad when he was going again!

Saturday, David Deitz of Sharon and Frank Farraye of Medfield met Captain Bill before dawn. The plan was to fish the shallows before the weekend boat traffic would begin. It was a good plan because on the very first cast David brought up a big fish. While this fish just rolled on his fly, the next one jumped all over the fly. Unfortunately, this bass pulled the hook. Several other fish followed and swirled on the lures and flies Frank and David were casting but refused to eat. David's next hook-up with a feisty bluefish that ran right at the boat. David stripped line as fast as he could and finally caught up with the bluefish and skillfully worked it back to the boat so that Captain Bill could grab it. Frank landed two small bass on a Bass Assassin. He also got cut off by bluefish. Before any other boats showed up, the crew same some big fish tailing in the skinny water, but when the other boats moved into the area, this bite was over. At slack water, the Skipper pushed into Quincy Bay. A school of bass had bait pinned in tight to the rocky shoreline. Captain Bill maneuvered the boat as close as he could, but it just wasn't close enough for David to reach with a fly rod. However, Frank was using light tackle and hooked three bass all of which came unbutton. Sometimes, the fish seem to have all the luck! The skipper decided to look for some mackerel inside. It didn't take long as several large schools of mackerel were found just outside of Deer Island Light. With the baitwell loaded, the crew headed back into shallow waters. Frank hooked a fish that the entire crew thought was a big bass until the fish made a jump. What they saw was a monstrous bluefish. Frank fought the fish to the boat, and as the Skipper was trying to grab the tail for a quick photo opportunity, it finally bit through the leader. This was the only taker in the shallows so the Skipper headed back to Quincy Bay and the fish finally came up mid-morning. These fish were really keyed in on mackerel and difficult to turn on flies and lures. David hooked a nice fish on one of special tyes that took him right into the backing, but this fish also came unbuttoned. Frank finally landed one on spinning tackle so Dave decided with these fish were moving so fast, he needed to switch to spinning tackle. David had the next bass right at the boat but when the Skipper grabbed the leader the hook pulled. This bass was over 3 feet. It was now time to admit that the fish won this round and get back to dock. Frank will be out next weekend, and David will return for a two day charter the middle of July.

Captain' Report
June 26, 2011

Captain Bill reports that the fishing rebounded early this week. The Inner Harbor and the approach channels are loaded with bait, which continue to attract huge schools of bass. The bass are hammering the drop back herring, silversides and mackerel. Blues are now in the mix. However, the Boston area was hit by a three day low pressure front, which produced rain, mist, easterly winds, and unseasonably cold temperatures. The Skipper managed to fish around the weather and the Draggin' Fly sailed every day.

Monday, Jack Fallon of NH was aboard for his annual "Harba" trip. Jack is the son of legendary outdoorsman and noted writer, Jack Fallon Sr. Kevin Bousman traveled all the way from Virginia to experience Boston legendary bass fishery. Rounding out the crew was fresh water fisher, Stan Janiak also of NH. At the first stop in Quincy Bay, Jack hooked a big bas that he could not turn. The Skipper decided to head to the Inner Triangle where he had a good bite the previous day. In the Sugar Bowl, the crew jumped the first school of the day, but failed to hook any fish. Captain Bill was beginning to wonder if this was going to be long day!! Luck soon changed as another school was found on Governor's Flats. Before this bite ended all three anglers caught and released several bass up to 30 inches. Today, there was a major bite at the next stop in Dorchester Bay where the crew hammered bass swimming jigs. The fish ranged in size from small schoolies to fish pushing the 36 inch mark. There were surface blitzes throughout the morning. Jack, Kevin, and Stan kept Captain Bill hopping from one side of the boat to the other. Captain Bill informed the crew that he wanted to take advantage of light wind and hunt the shallows for big fish…and this plan worked out well as the crew jumped several large bass. Although difficult to catch, Kevin landed and released a 40 inch bass and Jack had a 38 inch bass. Both fish were caught in water less than 3 feet deep. Jack who has inherited his dad's conservation ethic released all the fish.

Tuesday, Paul Morey of Halifax arranged a light tackle trip. Joining Paul were Chris Wilson of Norton and Mark Grant of Peabody. Paul and Chris had fish with Captain Bill in the past but this was Mark's first trip on the Draggin' Fly. There was a quick bite at Governor's Flats just after dawn. The action did not last long so Captain Bill headed right into Dorchester. At first the fish were up and down, making it very difficult for the Skipper to stay on the fish. As the morning progressed, surface action became much better. Several times the crew doubled up on fish. When the fish were on the surface, Hogies and Bass Assassins were deployed. When they went down, the crew continued to hook fish by swimming jigs. When this bite finally broke up at the bottom of the tide, it was time to explore. The Draggin' Fly headed to the east to fish the approach channels. Here the fish were feeding on mackerel and were more difficult to hook. However, one took a Bass Assassin and another hit a Berkley Jerk Shad rigged on a jig head. Just after the turn, the crew headed to the shallows to hunt fish. Several very large fish were jumped, but only a few even bothered to follow the lures. One of these fish was a monster that the crew was able to watch swimming lazily around an underwater rock. The Skipper actually trimmed the motor out of the water to float over the rock but she still would not eat. It was another good morning on the Harba!

Wednesday, David Deitz of Sharon met Captain Bill at dawn. The plan was to fish their way into Boston to pick up David's son, Andrew in the North End. Both David and Andrew are very seasoned fly fishers who fish with the Skipper several times each year. After picking up Andrew in Boston, the crew started the hunt. This trip started slowly. There were pods of bait throughout the Inner Triangle but very few fish were seen. Captain Bill felt it was only a matter of time before the bass found this bait. The Skipper headed back to Quincy Bay and found a nice school of bass that had bait trapped right on the shoreline. These fish were big and aggressive. Andrew was the first to hook-up. This was Andrew's first fly rod bass of the year and what a beauty... a fat 34 inch striper. Within a few moments, David was also tight to another big bass. This scene was repeated several times over the next two hours. After the school broke up, the crew caught the tail end of a bite in Dorchester Bay. Then Captain Frank called about a bite in the North Channel. These fish were really keyed in on the mackerel that they were feeding and proved very difficult to catch. One nice 32 inch bass was taking. It was time to head to the shallows and begin the hunt for big fish. Again today, the fish were still finicky. David landed one on a Gurgler. But most just track on the fly and turned away at the last moment. It was time to get David and Andrew back to dock so that they could go to work. Both will be out again in a few weeks.

Based on the forecast Captain Bill suggested to Vinnie Freudenberg of Natick that he pushed back the start of Thursday's trip. When the Skipper got to the dock, there was some fog and mist, but the rain had cleared. Joining Vinnie were his teenage daughter Hannah and two of her friends, Katie and Hannah Fuller…who also happen to be identical twins. Captain Bill decided to call Hannah Freudenberg, Hannah #1 and Hannah Fuller, Hannah #2. Hannah #1 fished with Dad last year and the twins fish from the vacation home on Martha's Vineyard. It didn't take long for the crew to find the first school of bass working right off of West Gut. For the next hour, the girls kept Captain Bill busy unhooking fish. After this bite ended, the Draggin' Fly headed to the Inner Triangle. On the way, Vinnie spotted another pot of bass. Hannah #2 hooked a nice bass. Meanwhile, Hannah #1 and Katie's lines got tangled. While Captain Bill worked to free the lines, Katie's rod jerked tight as a fish engulfed her jig. Once the Skipper freed her line, the battle and luck was with Katie as she landed the fish. This was also a tagged fish, the second landed on the Draggin' Fly in a week. The time was right for fishing Black Rocks, but the east wind would make for comfortable condition so the Skipper aborted this plan. The Draggin' Fly headed back to Quincy Bay where the crew jumped yet another school of bass. Vinnie's surface lure worked well on these fish and the gals still caught fish on jigs. Before the wind forced a hasty retreat the crew caught several more bass. Hannah#2 has bragging rights for this trip as her bass was just a few inches larger than Hannah#1. And Dad had dinner for several days.

Frank Sannella of Scituate had out-of-state guests set the fish on Friday, but based on the weather forecast, this trip would be rescheduled. However, Franks still wanted his day on the Draggin' Fly. Captain Bill suggested that they push back the start until after the tide turn. It was a slow start. Captain George called to tell the Skipper about a bite in Hingham, but this didn't last for long. The fish finally came up in Quincy Bay for long enough so that Frank and Captain Bill could get a few quick shots at them. Captain Bill cast a Bass Assassin right into the middle of the frenzy. Within two turns of the handle, his lure was quickly eaten by a hot bass. Frank brought up another fish on a jig that he was trying to clear to get out of the Skipper's way. The bass was landed, and stretched the tape to just shy of the 3 foot mark. Once the fish went down, Frank and the Skipper switch to jigs and were soon doubled up. Both these fish hit the 30 inch mark. Frank was able to pull one more bass swimming a Bass Assassin on a 1 ounce jig head before the fish got locked your. Heading to the Inner Triangle, another part of bass was jumped; again these fish were difficult the hook. Frank finally managed to hook another swimming a jig. Only one more school was located and these went down before Frank or the Skipper could get a cast into them. It was time to admit that the fish won this round. Frank has two trips scheduled next week to try to even the score.

Saturday was another mistake, dreary day. Matt West of Scituate arranged the light tackle trip for his 12 year old nephew Thomas Esposito of New York and his brother-in-law, Gary Wyrwa of New Jersey. Captain Bill suggested another late start...and it was a little later for some. It was a very slow morning. The fish had disappeared from the Inner Harbor, and there was no way that Captain Bill could fish the Outer Harbor. The three-day easterly wind had kicked up 5 foot seas at the mouth of the harbor and it was too windy to sight fish in the shallows. The Skipper tried Quincy Bay, Hingham Bay, Sculpin Ledge, and the Inner Triangle all with the same luck...all bad. Matt had one bass slap at his Bass Assassin and Gary had another attack his jig. Finally a small school of bass was jumped at Governor's Flats. Thomas brought up several bass twitching the soft jerk bait, and he finally got a hook into one. Thomas is a very season angler who fishes from his family boat in Montauk. AS Uncle Matt, a photojournalist, shot pictures, Thomas caught and released of fat "Harba" bass. On the next drift, Thomas did it again releasing another bass. Captain Bill found several more pods fish on the sonar, but these refused to hit a jig. With the wind down the Skipper decided to finish this trip casting in the shallows. Although it be nearly impossible to sight fish, the winds had laid down enough so that the fish would be able to see the jerk baits. However, this plan failed to produce even a follow. How things change in a matter of hours!

Sunday, Frank Farraye of Medfield invited Michael O'Brien of Hingham to share of money on the Draggin' Fly. The weather was still overcast and misty when the crew left dock. Within minutes of clearing the no wake zone, Michael and Frank were casting to breaking fish. Michael was the first to hook up a nice bass. Frank brought up several working his Bass Assassins in the skinny water, but it was Michael who hooked another bass on the Zoom jerk bait. After this bite, the Skipper decided to move offshore for some mackerel, but the outside was really dirty and the seas are still bumped up. The crew headed back to the Inner Triangle, there was no surface bite, but Captain Bill found a few in the bottom. Frank and Michael switched to Vivif jigs, and Michael caught two more bass. Now that the tide had turned and was beginning to move out, it was time to hunt the showers. This is Frank's favorite way of bass fishing. And it didn't take them long to find some fish. Several were brought up but only two were hooked, but Frank was back in the groove. After the crew lost these fish, the Skipper headed to even shallower water. It took some hunting, but when the fish were found, Frank and Michael consistently brought up fish. These as proved hard to hook, but both anglers landed several more bass before was time to head back to dock. Frank and Michael kept a fish for the grill and the rest were released.Frank fishes several times a year with Captain Bill and is a great light tackle angler, who each year catches some of the biggest bass taken in the "Harba". Frank will be out again next week looking for another trophy bass, and the Skipper is certain that Michael will also return this year.

Monday's charter was canceled based on the forecast…and of course the weather never got here. Due to other commitments, Captain Bill did not fish Tuesday but Captain George kept told about a very large school of bass north
of the city.

When the Captain got back of the water on Wednesday with Dan Miller and Tony Walker of Boston conditions were ideal for shallow water fishing. It did not take long for Dan to put the first fish into the boat, a nice 35 inch bass that he planned on grilling. Dan was using a pink Hogy stick bait. Tony hooked the next fish on a Bas Assassin twitched slowly in two feet of water. Meanwhile, Captain George called about a big bite east of Nahant. As the sun came up, it was easier to spot fish, but they became more finicky. However, Tony and Dan managed to turn several more bass up to 34 inches before the crew headed north to join Captain George. The fish off Nahant were big and hungry. Over the next two hours, Dan and Tony were tight to bass and several were over 36 inches. Rather than chase the schools of fish, Captain Bill had the crew switch to Vivif jigs and swim them through the water column. This worked well because Tony landed a 42 inch bass and Dan's hook broke on a bigger fish when the Skipper tried to bring it aboard. Dan and Tony are already making plans for their next trip in the fall.

Thursday, Richard Wright of Wayland invited Tim McCoy of Wellesley to share an early morning light tackle trip. It was truly amazing how fishing conditions can change so quickly. The shallows that had held fish just 24 hours ago failed to produce any action this morning. The next spot deeper in Quincy Bay looked more promising, as a few fish erupted on squid…yes, squid. Another charter reported seeing bass chasing this bait the day before, and today the Draggin'Fly crew could confirm this sighting. Squid are not common in this part for the state, but they are here. Tim was the first to hook up and released a 34 inch bass. Another bass was hooked on a jig but the hook pulled. At the turn of the tide, Captain Bill headed to Deer Island, which was holding lots of silversides but no bass. However, the crew saw large flocks of birds working in the approach channel. When they got there, bass were tearing up the bait. Richard and Tim had a few shorts before the fish sounded. Unlike previous days, the fish would not hold together and only made a few more surface charges. Richard landed a bass swimming a jig before the fish completely disappearing. The crew worked the same areas that held large numbers of fish the day before but found nothing. Tim and Richard agreed with Captain Bill that this would be early day.
Friday, Frank Sannella of Scituate was aboard for the first of many trips of the season. Frank and the Skipper had talked the night before so he was well aware of the slow day that Thursday's crew had experienced. But Frank, who usually fishes in May but this year could not because of business, was ready to give it his all. Joining Frank was neighbor, Bob Nelson. When the crew got to the dock just before dawn, Captain Bill explained that there was some rain and wind heading their way so it would be a short trip. On the first pre-dawn drift across a rip just off the mouth of the river, both Frank and Bob were tight to big bass. The crew worked Vivif jigs along rock structure of the rip. While Bob enjoys twitching jerk baits, Frank never tires of swimming jigs just under the surface and he is very good at it. This scene was repeated over the next few drifts before the tide let go. Again this morning, the Inner Harbor was loaded with silversides, and again, the bass were nowhere to be found. It was time to check out the approach channel and today, it was the same deal. The fish crashed on the surface only to disappear. Switching to jigs produced only one more take. The decision was made to head off-shore and jig up some mackerel. This also proved a little difficult. But the crew finally came through and headed back inside to put the Macks to work. However, this plan was soon aborted when an angry wind greeted the crew as the made the turn into Nubs Channel. Bob checked radar on his phone and saw the reason…the leading edge of the front was barreling down of them. It was time to head to dock. The Draggin' Fly got to dock just ahead of the rain. Frank will be out again next week, and Bob is hoping to get his own boat into the water this week.

Vinnie Freudenberg of Natick met Captain Bill before dawn on Saturday. This was Vinnie second trip of the year. On his previous trip Vinnie caught and released the biggest fish of his life, which is also the largest caught on the Draggin' Fly so far this year. Joining Vinnie were his son Harrison and home town friend, Brad Losurdo. Harrison has fished with Captain Bill several times in the past so expectations were high as the crew pushed off. Again this morning, the Skipper could not find any bass in the shallow water, but deeper in the Bay, the crew jumped a few fish but could not get a hook into them. Captain Bill decided to try Deer Island. There were fish and lots of other boats. On the first drift Harrison, hooked a nice fish on a Bass Assassin, only to have the hook pull. Brad finally broke the ice catching and releasing the first bass of the trip. Several boats including a jet ski rigged out like a sportfishing yacht were running through the school and putting the fish down. At one time the jet ski angler was so close to the Draggin' Fly, Captain Bill asked if he wanted a cup of coffee since he cut in front of the boat and our crew could not get a cast into the fish. The crew had several shots but little to show for their efforts. At slack low, it was time to hunt the flats. Harrison was fishing from the upper deck and saw several big fish. He hooked a really nice bass on a jerk bait and had him on for awhile before another hook pulled. Several other fish were jumped but these fish were very difficult to hook. They would follow and even flash at the lure but would not eat it. Brad managed a nice fish on a Hogy. Then hooked another, and at the same time, Harrison doubled it up. As Captain Bill, tried to keep the Draggin' Fly in deeper water, these fish ran across each other. Harrison landed the first bluefish of the season, but Brad's broke off. On the way back to dock, the crew had one more chance, as the fish moved into Fore River. Both Brad and Harrison landed another bass before this pod of fish broke up. The crew would be the first to admit that the fish won today's battle, but Vinnie will be out again next week with his daughter looking to even the score with the fish.

Sunday's forecast was for light NW wind, but by the time Captain Bill made the turn into the Inner Harbor to pick up today's angler in the North End, he was greeted by gusty winds. Paul Gryenia's wife arranged this special morning of fishing as a surprise Father's Day gift. Some guys have all the luck…now if this luck could transfer to fishing, we had the makings of a great day. The Skipper discussed the options with Paul, who is a fly fisher but would have no problem using spinning tackle if conditions warranted…and yes, conditions warranted it! Just as the Draggin' Fly passed Castle Island the first school of bass was encountered. As the fish pushed herring to the surface, Paul cast a Bass Assassins to these hungry fish, and it only took a few twitches to get their attention. For the next half hour, Paul had these fish to himself. When the fish went down, Paul switched to a jig and was back in the groove. When the other boats arrived, it was time to look for other fish. While the fleet chased birds and scattered fish in the North Channel, Captain Bill decided to look in Dorchester Bay. This was the correct decision because there was a good school of fish by the Kennedy Library. These fish were feeding on small silversides. With the wind blowing a steady 20 knots, there was no way to cast 4 inch jerk baits with any accuracy so the Skipper rigged them on half ounce jig heads. This proved to be the right combination. As the rest of the boats watched, Paul caught and released several bass up to 30 inches. As the tide slackened, action died so Captain Bill headed to the North Channel. However, there were just too many boats running over the fish to make any serious attempt to fish this school of bass. The decision was made to finish the trip back inside. The fish were still there, but the wind kept them down so it was time to head back to drop Paul back in Boston.

Can it get any better? This week there were lots of feeding fish and hours of surface action. It all adds up to great fishing. Large schools of bass are spread throughout the harbor and nearby waters. Much of this past week's action has been in the Outer Islands and harbor approaches. Large flocks of seagulls and huge concentrations of cormorants will help find fish.

Draggin' Fly Charters strongly promotes the catch and release of striped bass. Several trophy bass were caught this week but every fish over 36 inches were released. These are the stronger breeders which are needed to maintain future generations of striped bass.

Monday, long time Draggin' Fly client and friend, Damon Reed was aboard. It was an early start as Damon made the 5 hour trip from his home in Vermont. Damon is an expert fly fisher and innovative fly tyer. He has been fishing with Captain Bill since the Skipper moved back to the Harbor in the early 1990s. Just as the sun came up, Damon was casting to some nice bass in very shallow water within minutes of clearing the no wake zone of the Back River. These fish were big and really put a strain on Damon's light fly rod. Meanwhile, Captain Bill used soft plastic jerk baits to catch and release bass up to 36 inches. As the Draggin' Fly was into this action, most of the other boats that were out chasing bass this morning were in the Inner Triangle. Since there were no birds around the fish that Captain Bill was working, no other boats found these fish. After several bass, Damon hooked a big fish that broke his leader and departed with his fly. Unfortunately, this was the last lavender fly that Damon. Damon used a Big Eye Deceiver to catch another fish. After this bite ended, Captain Bill headed to Boston to check on what was happening there. There were a lot of terns and scattered pockets of fish. After spending a little time trying to get onto these fish, both Damon and the Skipper agreed it was time to explore off-shore. It didn't take long to find the next school. These fish were herding mackerel and refused to take anything artificial. Captain Bill had some tinker mackerel iced from the previous day's trip and rigged these on light spinning reels. This proved to be the trick as several bass were caught and released. After the turn of the tide, it was back to the long rod for Damon and Captain Bill switched to a Vivif jig to catch some nice bass. It was an exciting morning and well with the long trip. Damon will return again next month for his next battIe.

Thursday, Captain Bill pushed off of dock just before dawn with plans to fish his way to a pick-up in Boston. The weather was clear and winds light. This all changed within an hour when the wind switch directions kicking up the seas. Just as Chris Baker, today's client arrived at the pick-up dock in Boston, it also began to rain. The Skipper suggested that Chris and his guest, Jesse Burnett go to breakfast and call back in half an hour. At 7AM, the rain had stopped but the wind showed little signs of laying down…so much for NOAA's forecast of a clear day and light winds. Captain Bill agreed to head out and test the wind. It didn't take long to find fish. These fish did not stay up long, but both Jesse and Chris caught a few before the fish broke up. There were no fish in Quincy Bay this morning so the Draggin' Fly headed towards Boston Light. On the way, the crew found a nice school of bass. On the first cast to these fish, Jesse hooked a hot fish on a Vivif jig. It soon became apparent that this was no ordinary bass, but Jesse was able to turn her. When the fish was brought boat side, Jesse saw a big cow that sounded. As Jesse pumped the fish back to the surface, Captain Bill made grab and hoisted the fish aboard. After a few quick pictures and measurements, Jesse revived and released a 35 pound trophy bass. The next few fish were not as big but were over 30 inches. Captain Bill saw a big storm just to the west so he quickly got the Draggin' Fly out of its path…and yes, into another school of bass. At times, both Chris and Jesse were hooked up to big bass. The Skipper actually had to leave the fish to get Chris back to Boston for a late morning meeting. It certainly was an interesting morning!

Frank Cheverie of Boston and Rob Roland of Norwell met Captain Bill on Friday just after dawn. It did not take long before Frank had the first bass to the boat. This 32 inch striper inhaled a Bass Assassin. Both Frank and Rob had several more encounters with bass at different spots in the Inner Triangle before the tide went slack. When the tide turned and began to drop, it was time to explore off-shore. In the deep water east of the Graves, big bass were tearing into schools of mackerel. A big fish jumped all over Rob's Bass Assassin and at the same time, Frank hooked another monster on the fly rod. Frank's fish ran hard into the backing only to have the hook pull. Meanwhile, Rob turned his fish and was able to work her boat side. The Skipper made the grab and Rob had a real trophy fish. The fish was measured and photographed before Rob revived her for the release. This fish was almost 46 inches long and with a 27 inch girth was estimated to weigh 38 plus pounds. Captain Bill uses a fish weight calculator that provides a very accurate estimation of weight. Hanging a fish on a scale puts a tremendous amount of stress on a fish and often causes internal injuries. This bite lasted long enough for both Frank and Rob to catch a few more bass. Heading back inside, the crew found another big school of fish and caught a number of more fish on both flies and soft jerk baits. At times both anglers were hooked up on big fish. The best dance occurred when Frank had a 37 inch bass and Rob had a 34 inch fish at the same time. The action was still going on when the Draggin' Fly had to get back to dock. It was another great morning of solid action!

Max Cavallaro of Everett put together the crew for Saturday's trip. Joining Max was Jon Kelley and Eric Anderson. Today, there was no bite in Quincy so Captain Bill headed to Governor's Flats. There was a group of boats fishing tight to the airport. Casting a Bass Assassin, Eric was the first to hook up and had his first striped bass of his fishing career. But that was all that the crew could get the hook into before this school of fish moved inside the airport security zone. The Skipper decided to leave this fleet and fish the shallow water along Long Island. It did take long to find some fish. While Max cast a small fly that imitated the silversides that these fish were feeding on, Eric cast a Gurgler and Jon worked a soft jerk bait. Eric's Gurgler was inhaled by a big bass close to the boat that the leader popped. Max had several bass follow his fly but no takers. These fish broke up when other boats found the Draggin' Fly. At slack tide, the Skipper decided to explore a few other areas but none held fish this morning. When the tide turned, the fish were back in the shallow water along Long Island, but this time there were no birds to attract other boats. These fish were just swirling on the surface and occasionally crashed on bait. After days of aggressive fish, these fish were among the fussiest that Captain Bill has encountered this year. Jon and Max managed to hook a fish on flies and Eric got his on an Assassin. Finally, the crew had to admit that these fish were just not in the mood to play. Captain Bill decided to try some structure on the way back to dock…this proved to be the right decision because he found a school of aggressive bass that kept the crew busy for the rest of the trip. These fish jumped all over soft jerk baits, and Max even turned some on his gurgler. At one time, all three anglers were hooked up on bass. Mixed-in with this school were some of the smallest fish of the season but there were some real monsters. Captain Bill told his crew to treat every fish like a big fish. Even using this approach, two big fish broke off. Jon landed the biggest that pushed the three foot mark. Jon said it best…it was the bottom of the 9th and we scored!

It was blowing from the east, raining, and foggy when Captain Bill got up early Sunday morning…a wonderful day to be a duck but not for fishing.

Friday's trip was scheduled to be another fly fishing adventure. When Captain Bill left his house well before dawn, the wind was not too strong. However, as he pulled up to the dock, he could see that the wind was already pushing hard from the North West. When the clients arrived, Bill explained that this was probably the best they were going to see. The wind was expected to increase for much of the morning before finally letting go. This decision was made to reschedule the trip and talk fishing over breakfast.

Paul Ponicherta of Hingham put together the crew for Saturday's light tackle trip. Joining Paul were Andy Reed also of Hingham, Tom Aceravatti of Weymouth and his Dad, Tom Sr. 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 Jr. was the first to score and his Dad was right behind him. Meanwhile Paul and Andy were fishing from the forward platform. And luck was not with them, as both missed getting their hooks into the fish that attacked their Bass Assassins. Tom and Dad continued to dominate, releasing several more bass up to 34 inches before Paul's luck changed. He hooked a big fish that took him for quite the ride. When he finally got it boat side, Captain Bill grabbed the leader only to have the hook pull…oops! This fish was better than 36 inches. It took Andy some time, but he finally got the hook of his Bass Assassin into a nice bass. The fish continually to more in shallower and actually had bait trapped in water only a foot or two deep. Once this bite ended, the Skipper found another school and within minutes there was a "bass polka" going on the Draggin' Fly as both Toms and Paul were hooked up on big fish. Younger Tom's fish proved to be a real tackle buster, alternating from swimming deep to running out on a surface charge. When Captain Bill finally wrestle the fish on board, Tom's trophy bass was measured at 46 inches and photographed before being revived and released.While Paul and Andy alternated between jigs and soft jerk baits, Tom Sr. used a Hogy stick bait that was hot this morning. Tom Jr. preferred to swim a Vivif jig. Several more bass were landed by the crew including a tagged fish caught by Paul before the tide was lost. The crew finished the day fishing near Captain Roger, the flounder guru, who generously shared some bait.

Sunday, Bob Moss of Lexington put together the crew for his annual light tackle charter. Joining Bob were Vermont anglers Bob Ferguson (Fergie), Craig Young, and Jim Kearns. After several days fighting winds, today's forecast was for light wind. Bob is a regular who has been organizing trips for many years. However, last year, the crew missed their trip so anticipation ran high as the Draggin' Fly pushed off. The first stop in Quincy Bay looked really promising because the bass had bait trapped in very shallow water. Craig was the first to hook up on a nice bass that inhaled his Bass Assassin. Fergie was next. Bob also landed a nice fish. But as quickly as it started this bite was over so Captain Bill headed to the Inner Triangle. On the way the Skipper spotted another school of bass. These fish were herding herring on the surface so the trick was to put a soft jerk bait right on their nose. Bob Ferguson landed some nice fish up to 34 inches and Bob Moss got several others swimming a Vivif jig. After this school broke up, the crew headed off shore to catch a few mackerel. However, plans quickly change when a school of bass was encountered in the shallow water of Brewster Spit. These fish were so keyed into the bait, they were almost impossible to catch. But and it's a big but…Jim hooked a big fish that dumped his reel in by to a flash. With good coaching from the crew and the Environment Police Officer watching as he was doing an inspection on the boat next to the Draggin' Fly, Jim worked the fish back to the boat only to have it sound several times. Finally, Captain Bill was able to make the grab and hoisted the cow into the boat. After quick measurements and some photos, Jim released a really fat 44 inch bass. Captain Bill reminds all anglers that a saltwater licensing law is now in effect in Massachusetts. However, anyone fishing from a charter boat is covered under the boat's license. The crew continued the offshore hunt and loaded the bait well very quickly. Back inside the macks produced a few small bass. An electrical issue did not allow the crew to fish the last spot…the fish certainly got a reprieve!

Bass have been blitzing baitfish on the surface and gorging themselves throughout Inner Harbor almost on a daily basis. At times, it is drop back herring that they are targeting. When the bass are on this bait, they are very difficult to catch because they stay on the surface only a matter of seconds. The key to success with these fish is to find the bait and keep on it. The ban on using herring (even the possession on dead herring is a violation of the law) remains in effect throughout Massachusetts waters. Once the bass get on the bait, it is best to 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.

Mackerel are just beginning to show in big schools just outside the Harbor. This should bring an increase in the numbers of bass and the size of fish over the next several weeks.

The weather was good for an early morning trip on Thursday. Aboard was Draggin' Fly regular Bob Hennessey from Hanover. This was Bob's second trip of the new season. The prediction was for building winds so Bob and Captain Bill knew that they needed to find fish quickly. It didn't take long because within minutes of clearing the no wake zone of the Back River a pod of big bass had herring trapped on the surface. The bad news was these fish had no interest in eating anything but herring! After several casts, Captain Bill knew that it was time to find more cooperative fish. Quincy Bay provided the next encounter with bass. These fish were a little more cooperative…but not much. Bob and the Skipper managed to turn several bass on Bass Assassins and got their hooks into a few. The biggest was 34 inches and was kept for the grill. After these fish broke up, it was time to explore. The next stop was at the Long Island rip. Here the fish were staler but more cooperative. After the turn of the tide, schools of bass were found around the Inside Triangle chasing small bait fish. These bass were nearly impossible to catch so after an hour of trying and only two small bass to show for hundreds of cast Captain Bill and Bob admitted defeat.

Friday, May 27th, Vinnie Freudenberg of Natick joined Captain Bill for his first trip of the season. Within minutes of clearing the no wake zone of the river, Vinnie was casting to a nice school of bass in Quincy Bay. The fish were really hitting the herring so they moved quickly. However, Vinnie soon hooked a fish that he knew was no ordinary fish…it was big! For the first few minutes after the fish inhaled a Bass Assassin, Vinnie could do nothing except hold on and watch as this fished dumped his spool.

Vinnie Freudenberg released this trophy bass on May 27th.

After this amazing run, Vinnie was able to work the fish back to the boat only to have it take off on another incredible run. Everything worked well. Vinnie was able to turn the fish this time and worked back to the boat. The Skipper made the grab. After some quick measurements and pictures, Vinnie put his biggest bass ever back into the water to revive it for the release. Vinnie's trophy bass measure over 46 inches and surely weighed over 35 pounds.

A few more fish up to 30 inches were caught and release before the tide went slack and the fish disappeared. Captain Bill headed to the Inner Triangle to catch the beginning of the dropping tide. The Skipper was able to keep on the fish better today and the fish were a little more cooperative. At times, the terns, 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, Vinnie caught several more up to legal size. Captain Bill and Vinnie finished the trip fishing for flounders.

Sunday, May 29th, Captain Bill decided to head to Plymouth and explore the tri-towns of Plymouth, Kingston and Plymouth. The Skipper was hoping to avoid the Memorial Weekend crowds that had the ramp tied up in Weymouth and were putting a lot of pressure on the fish in and around Boston. Daniel Robinson of Middleboro and his teenage son Jeff met Captain Bill at dawn. The crew would be fishing the incoming water, which the Skipper likes. The first stop by Bug Light failed to produce. Captain Bill explained that the rip was not running well, and it would take some time. Moving further into Duxbury Bay, a school of bass was encountered working a grass flat near Clark's Island. Both Jeff and his Dad were soon tight to nice bass. For the next half hour, the crew repeatedly hooked feisty bass on Bass Assassins. After these fish broke up, the crew returned to fish the rip at the Bug. This time they caught fish including Jeff's 36 inch bass. Best action was on Vivif jigs worked fairly deep in the rip. As the morning crowd began to grow, it was time to explore Kingston Bay rather than fight the wakes from the boats. There were scattered pods of bass along the Cordage Channel and across the bay along Standish Shores. Once again, soft plastic jerk baits produced well. It was very crowded at the ramp so Captain Bill dropped off the Robinsons. It took almost an hour to pull out.

Captain's Report
May 21, 2011

Captain Bill was growing very tired of all the gloomy fishing reports and chomping at the bit for some more reasonable weather. There was just too much wind to hunt bass in skinny water. The Skipper threw out his log books because he knows that this will be a different spring season. Finally after almost two weeks of being harasses by consistent northeast winds, rain, and fog, conditions finally turned more favorable and just in time for the Memorial weekend.

The run of spring bass in Boston is on! Each day more and more fish are showing. Harbor bass fishing went from nil to major surface blitzes occurring on a daily basis. Since the end of the week, there has had an excellent bite in the Inner Triangle and in Broad Sound. Most of the action has been on light tackle and flies. Swimming soft plastic and shallow swimmers has produced well. Herring patterns like a Big Eye Deceivers will work well for fly anglers.

Also arriving with the bass were schools of mackerel. With calming seas, Captain Bill will begin targeting big bass under this bait on the outside ledges. He said, "This adds another dimension to our fishing".

Just a reminder that Draggin'Fly Charters will begin sailing a full week schedule the first week in June. Until then, Captain Bill will be fishing Thursday-Monday. And Captain George is available for the dawn shift on a daily basis.

The spring run of bass is quite a bit behind schedule. The east wind has been blowing cold water inshore for the last two weeks. And the forecast does not look too promising for the upcoming week.

Boston Harbor and Surrounding Waters
aboard
The Draggin' Fly

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