On board today, I had David King and Mike Brucato from Pine Hills, for Fly Fishing Striped Bass. Last night, I told them yesterday was slow fishing and we could expect more of the same today in East winds. “Winds from the East, fishing the least.”

At first light, winds were kicking up N/NE. I glassed the bay multiple times and could find no fish anywhere. We ran the bay hoping to spot birds working but it was void of birds, bait and bass – just what I was expecting and I planned on a morning of fishing all structure and picking up fish wherever we could find them.

We kept running and glassing the bays of Duxbury and Kingston as the ENE winds continued to create choppy seas. Nothing found. Then we ran to plymouth and it was Game On! We found fish, birds and bait up on the flats and in the narrow channels, all on topwater. It was a wonderful find and my prayers were answered.

We began to set drifts in blowing winds ENE. Then they turned all East. Then they shifted to SE. Then they shifted to the South! It was a challenge to try and get the drifts right on each school of fish as the wind directions kept changing all morning. The fish were on topwater, but the drifts were fast and short. And to make it a little harder, the fish did not stay on topwater. We would get one or two fish in five minutes, and then the fish would go down for five minutes and come up a hundred or more yards away. But we kept at it, figured it out and did well.

Top fly patterns today were Chartreuse/White clousers on 8wt and 9wt rods with intermediate lines. Leaders were 20lb flurocarbon. The bait was two-fold: seaworms (!) the bass were grubbing off the bottom in 5-12 fow, and a tiny, skinny silver minnow with a dark olive back. If you are heading out, make sure you tie up some small #1 patterns the resemble this baitfish. It is the dominate food source at the moment…

Total catch and release today was a surprising 51 striped bass on the fly. I was expecting a very slow day given the Easterly winds, but they kept shifting enough to keep the fish active all morning long. Great job to David and Mike!

Back at it. STAY POSTED:

Capt. David Bitters, BAYMEN, baymenlife.com

**26 Years Guiding On Duxbury, Kingston & Plymouth Bay**