BOSTON HARBOR & SOUTH SHORE- Stripers 6/24/2006
Posted: Sat Jun 24, 2006 9:25 pmBOSTON HARBOR & SOUTH SHORE-Stripers 6/24/2006
Inshore striper fishing has pick-up significantly this week. Silversides can be found in the upper-reaches of the inner-harbor bays, and where you mark this baitfish on the bottom, stripers will be in evidence. Adult herring are still dropping out of the rivers, however, the herring are not bunched up. As a result, it is hard to get on the stripers as they bust on single herring. The outer harbor rocky promontories and structure has produced some of the largest fish of the week.
On Wednesday, long-time client Alan Levick of Newton Center, MA had a great day finding the bottom paved with silversides on a ten-foot edge in Quincy. Gray rubber-baits fished on ½ oz. jig-heads and sparsely-dressed gray clousers matched the bait-fish well on the early morning flood tide. Most of the bass were between 20 and 25 inches—one 30-inch keeper was kept for the table as well as a stray bluefish. A move to the outer harbor structure, bars and channel edges produced three more keepers to 33 inches; all were promptly released.
The inner-harbor was very slow at week’s end. So much so, that we skipped going inside all together on Friday and Saturday. Concentrating on structure fishing in the rocks off Minot’s and Boston’s outer-harbor was very productive using texas-rigged soft-plastics on light-spinning gear. On the long rod, Ken Abrames flat-wing Sure-thing and L & L Special teased up numbers of school bass from the structure. Bob Steinmann and his lovely, first wife had a 30 fish morning on Thursday, however none reached the 28” mark. New fly clients from NH, Allen Wetmore and friends, had to work harder for their bass, but still managed to land just shy of 30 school bass and one 30 inch keeper.
Abrames “Razzel Dazzel” flat-wing produced as many strikes as the previously mentioned chartreuse patterns.
The rain and fog on Saturday didn’t deter Roger Thuot from Petersham, MA. The stripers were more than cooperative, and we had the pond completely to ourselves most of the morning. The flat-wings out-fished the surface presented soft-plastics, tricking some 20 school bass. However, Roger’s walk-the-dog retrieve was too much for the two slammers that jumped on the stick-baits with a vengeance. The first keeper pulled down the Boga to the 21-pound mark and was taped at 39 inches. This fat fish, covered with sea-lice, was quickly revived using the Boga and released. It appears that some of the big bass from the bay and Stellwagen are starting to move onto the structure. Twenty minutes later Rog was at it again, tied to another monster. Failing to loosen the drag after the last battle, Rog put too much pressure on the big striper’s initial sprint easily parting company and the line.
Capt. Mike Bartlett
B-Fast Charters
www.bfastcharters.com
Inshore striper fishing has pick-up significantly this week. Silversides can be found in the upper-reaches of the inner-harbor bays, and where you mark this baitfish on the bottom, stripers will be in evidence. Adult herring are still dropping out of the rivers, however, the herring are not bunched up. As a result, it is hard to get on the stripers as they bust on single herring. The outer harbor rocky promontories and structure has produced some of the largest fish of the week.
On Wednesday, long-time client Alan Levick of Newton Center, MA had a great day finding the bottom paved with silversides on a ten-foot edge in Quincy. Gray rubber-baits fished on ½ oz. jig-heads and sparsely-dressed gray clousers matched the bait-fish well on the early morning flood tide. Most of the bass were between 20 and 25 inches—one 30-inch keeper was kept for the table as well as a stray bluefish. A move to the outer harbor structure, bars and channel edges produced three more keepers to 33 inches; all were promptly released.
The inner-harbor was very slow at week’s end. So much so, that we skipped going inside all together on Friday and Saturday. Concentrating on structure fishing in the rocks off Minot’s and Boston’s outer-harbor was very productive using texas-rigged soft-plastics on light-spinning gear. On the long rod, Ken Abrames flat-wing Sure-thing and L & L Special teased up numbers of school bass from the structure. Bob Steinmann and his lovely, first wife had a 30 fish morning on Thursday, however none reached the 28” mark. New fly clients from NH, Allen Wetmore and friends, had to work harder for their bass, but still managed to land just shy of 30 school bass and one 30 inch keeper.
Abrames “Razzel Dazzel” flat-wing produced as many strikes as the previously mentioned chartreuse patterns.
The rain and fog on Saturday didn’t deter Roger Thuot from Petersham, MA. The stripers were more than cooperative, and we had the pond completely to ourselves most of the morning. The flat-wings out-fished the surface presented soft-plastics, tricking some 20 school bass. However, Roger’s walk-the-dog retrieve was too much for the two slammers that jumped on the stick-baits with a vengeance. The first keeper pulled down the Boga to the 21-pound mark and was taped at 39 inches. This fat fish, covered with sea-lice, was quickly revived using the Boga and released. It appears that some of the big bass from the bay and Stellwagen are starting to move onto the structure. Twenty minutes later Rog was at it again, tied to another monster. Failing to loosen the drag after the last battle, Rog put too much pressure on the big striper’s initial sprint easily parting company and the line.
Capt. Mike Bartlett
B-Fast Charters
www.bfastcharters.com