On board today, Day 2 with Col. Richard “The Machine” Comstock for fly fishing only striped bass.

If yesterday’s easterly winds were a challenge, today’s near gale force winds, white-caps and thunder heads took our game to a new level. At first light, it was calm seas tight to shore. But out in the bay, the WNW winds were cranking! Yesterday’s fish were gone and we began searching the bay for new fish.

Our first school of bass was in Plymouth waters under fast-moving birds chasing the bait the bass were also chasing. Not a good day to be a baitfish. With winds topping 20+ knots, it was difficult to set drifts on fast-moving fish. We tried a mix approach, often getting up wind of a school of fish with birds overhead, and catching a few as they zipped past. Then, we would drift on in hopes they would turn and come back past us. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it did not. But it was our best option.

We spotted a new school of fish back in Duxbury waters and while heading for them, found another closer school of fish tight to shore. We set a drift and they vanished. We began to leave and they popped up again behind us. We swung around and set a new drift and picked up a couple more fish.

Next, we cut across the bay and dipped inn behind Clark’s Island to get out of the wind. We set some drifts and now fish to be found, just like yesterday. We motored on and looked back and there was a blitz of bass! We turned around and went back to water we had just driven past and picked up a few more fish. Then they vanished just like all the rest.

Next up, I decided to check on an old spot up in the marsh that has held a few fish at high water over the years. As we approached, we could see a massive blitz in a guzzle! The bass had all the bait pinned at the back of a dead-end cut and they were absolutely destroying this school of bait. It 26 years of guiding, I have never seen bass go up a narrow dead-end guzzle and utterly destroy bait like this. It was just an amazing sight! We quickly beached the boat, rand across the marsh to the guzzle. One minute later it was over. Not a bass or baitfish in sight! Richard caught two fish in that blitz before the vanished like all the others. How I wish I had it all on film…

We left the marsh, fished another school of bass that had bait pinned against the shore in a 25 knot white-capped bay. I could not hold the drift and we blew right up onto the bank and the fish spooked out. We cut across the bay and found another tiny pod of fish and picked up one more and then headed for port.

Total catch and release today was 17 striped bass, all shorts. The top pattern was a white Jack Gartside Gurggler fished on a floating line. The bass destroyed it. Today was the roughest and choppiest day I have guided all season. It was a fun challenge but I would not want to fish in this kind of wind on a regular basis. Col. Richard “The Machine” Comstock cast non-stop all morning in winds often reaching 25 knots on choppy seas, and was amazing to watch. I could of never done it.

Back at it. Stay posted. Winds turning ENE with rough seas coming up this week.

Capt. Dave
BAYMEN
www.baymenlife.com