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Coastal Massachusetts
Capt. Mike Bartlett
September 26, 2004
Boston Harbor - Saltwater Fishing Report
Boston Harbor & South Shore Stripers
BOSTON HARBOR & SOUTH SHORE-Striper
The striper fishing has increased significantly along the South Shore’s coastline as well as in the estuaries, bays and coves due the staging of baitfish. Young herring, some approaching six inches, silversides and some tinker mackerel can be found in South Shore coves. Through most of the week, stripers have pinned the baitfish against the beach faces and rocky promontories in early morning feeding blitzes. School-size bass, as well as keeper bass in the forty-inch size class are taking advantage of this late summer free lunch. The weather, on the other hand, has made fishing difficult. Dodging the residual aftermath of hurricanes and line storms with the accompanying fog and torrential rains has tested the metal of anglers this week.
On Monday afternoon, Reed Chisholm of Goldman, Sachs and friends found the silversides and some herring on the surface fleeing, what proved to be marauding blues and schoolie bass. Chartreuse Half & Half’s on the long rod and Bassin’ Assassin’s on light-spinning gear matched bait effectively for the anglers. Mostly blues were brought to the boat. As darkness set in, on the last hour of the ebb, schools of silversides and herring were on the surface with no bass or blues working them.
Armed with the knowledge of the bait location from the previous evening’s charter, I met
Kevin McDonald (Millis ,MA) and friend on Tuesday morning. It was pouring on the South Shore, when I left the dock. Soon after a Rowe’s Wharf pick-up, we were enveloped in dense fog that came and went all morning long and alone, with the harbor to ourselves. On the last hour of the ebb and the first two hours of the flood, in the upper-reaches of the inner-harbor, bait fish were on the surface fleeing the predators below. I anticipated blues. The first hook-up, on a surface presentation, was a 39-inch, twenty-two pound linesider for Kevin’s friend. Kevin, fishing the Orvis T-3, missing a number of strikes on Half & Half, before coming tight on another good keeper bass, tapped at 36 inches and weighing 19 pounds---His first and largest striper on the fly! No Blues only bass and mostly keepers—go figure.
Similar happening occurred on the South Shore off Minot’s ledge and the Glades in the upper-reaches of the coves and beach faces. On Friday and Saturday mornings bait, bass and birds were on the surface. Roger Thuot of Petersham, MA and his daughter, Angela for Rutland, MA, had a field-day both in Boston and off Minot’s on Saturday. Upstaged by Angela on a previous outing, it was Dad’s day to shine. Roger took keepers to 34 inches on both the long-rod and light-spinning gear. The anglers tallied 22 bass, mostly on surface, with Roger catching and releasing the lion-share of the stripers—including the keepers. Kudos to Rog!
Capt. Mike Bartlett
B-Fast Charters
www.bfastcharters.com
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