7 Fish
On board today, I had repeat client, Rolando Jeeter and friend, Mike, for Light Tackle/Fly striped bass and blues.
A final NOAA weather check last night before I went to bed, said winds light and near calm. With a rising tide and cool morning, I anticipated wild fall blitz action. The only thing better would be an overcast day.
When I dropped the boat in winds were picking up out of the SW. By the time we got on the bay, they were cranking 15 knots SW with some higher gusts. The first hour of fishing, we found plenty of topwater action. But the fish were very skiddish and the blitz action was in 10-30 second intervals. These fish were on the move big time!
Our first stop was the oyster grants and we hooked up on some bass. Yesterday, this spot was loaded with giant chopper blues. Today, all the blues had left the bay on the SW blow. next stop was a deep channel across the bay. Fish were up for a moment and then gone. We picked up another striper. Third stop of the morning and we got into a mini-blitz and eel grass. We picked up a few more fish and then they were gone. Next up, we met up with my angling friend, “Spook” who was on the bay long before daylight. He had a 36″ incher to his credit in skinny water over the flats on the rising tide. We got into another small blitz that lasted for a few minutes and then it quieted down.
The SW continued to blow and we decided to back-track and then try another place that has held very big fish for us at this time of year. Nobody home, so we ran to Gurnet in the chop and had two follow Mike’s fly. One was a keeper and one was short. The short fish beat the keeper to the fly, hit and spit it out. We redrifted and did not see those fish again.
After working the bay loop pretty hard, and with the SW chop kicking up and the topwater action non-existent, we decided to call the trip short and headed for port. All in all, it was a lovely morning on the bay and at the dock, you would not even know it was blowing 15 out on the bay.
We ended the morning with 7 fish caught and released. Not bad considering the choppy SW. My late friend, Tony Stetzko, always said he loved a strong SW blow for his spots down on the Cape. But here in Duxbury/Plymouth waters, it is usually the death kiss to topwater action. Whats my ideal morning? I will tell you but it’s hard to come by with any consistency. Here it is: A plus (+) low tide half-hour before sunrise, with a very gentle West wind almost flat-calm. Add a mid-heavy overcast cloud cover. Fish it May, the first two weeks of June, MAYBE the first week of July, the last couple days of August and all of September. Change the wind to S and it would be just as good. Move it to N/NW and it would be OK. But turn it out of the E/NE and I wouls just as well stay in port.
Back at it as the fall run continues as soon as this SW today lays down or changes W/NW.
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Capt. Dave, BAYMEN www.baymenlife.com