June 2004 Daily Fishing Reports

With Greg Maheras, a devoted flyrodder, and friend Dave Driscoll aboard, the stage was all set for an interesting day on the water. Of course, it didn't start out that way when yours truly misunderstood that he was supposed to bring a fly rod or two and the spinning gear. But Greg was good natured about it and ran home around the corner from Green Pond to retrieve his fly rod. I did have my fly boxes in the truck and we would need them since today was a challnge in many places. First stop was MG, where the tide was almost slack and conditions were perfect for watching and hearing bass sipping what I swear are sand eels. I got to experience this phenomenon last season and while another angler said the bass were feeding on krill, I kept moving among my selection of fly rod patterns and Greg finally scored a striper. I was a bit surprised that the stickbaits Dave was throwing didn't elicit at least an aggravation response, and we weren't treated to any real shows of surface action once the tide kicked in. So off we went to Tarpaulin Cove where Greg took fish after fish flyrodding right in front of the lighthouse, but Dave couldn't get a response from plugs or live eels. Cuttyhunk was equally unkind to Dave whereas Greg had the right stuff on a number of schoolies. All ended well, at least for Dave, as Mr. Wiggly finally produced a bragging size bass. But we won't say anything about the cast that helped disconnect Greg from a sizeable striper on the fly rod. It certainly looked like an accident and we'll leave it at that. Right Greg?

After pulling out from Barnstable Harbor, it was off to Stage Harbor where I met up with Dan Comte, a very good flyrodder who hails from New Hampshire. The idea was to do some sight fishing and we certainly saw some truly huge bass cruising down the flats on the west side as the tide flooded and they worked towards the cut between North and South Monomoy. The bad news was that the wind made for too much chop so that when we finally saw the bass, we were too close for a good shot. As the tide flooded, I poled us up inside where the wave action wasn't as much of a factor. When a small group of fish came at us while were in less than a foot of water, Dan made a great cast, the fish turned, and inhaled the fly. A nice run later and some short bursts and Dan was a very happy angler whose patience and skill made for a very memorable catch.

The goal for this morning was to introduce Simon, the son of Jim Lee and Brenda Personette, to striped bass fishing. Both Jim and Brenda have been fly fishing with me before, while Simon went with spin fishing. The winds certainly weren't cooperative on the flats, so we worked some edges inside the harbor where we finally found a pocket of schoolies that produced action both on the fly and spinning outfits. Simon is truly a remarkable young man who kept his parents and me entertained all morning long, reminding me once again why I love fishing with children so much.

Day two of my fishing with Joe Vezo and Mike Campanelli was supposed to be a visit to the Monomoy flats. Unfortunately, wind and dirty water made for less than ideal conditions, so I elected to go back to the well and Barnstable. Although not as spectacular as our first day, Barnstable was once again kind to the two friends from Long Island, who both got their first bass sight fishing on the flats over pure white sand in crystal clear water. Fishing with Joe and Mike proved to me once again that anyone who can't get excited about watching a bass track a fly and then flare its gills and inhale the offering probably isn't breathing.

A cancellation of an earlier trip allowed Griffin Mann to join his dad, Charles, and brother-in-law Mark Tenerowicz on a visit to Barnstable Harbor. The flats certainly weren't what I would have liked them to be, although we did find fish on Horseshoe Bar early on and then found a seam later on that was quite productive for everyone aboard. I think that one of the things I enjoy most about fishing is seeing folks get together, share stories, and reconnect in a way that is very special.

With Joe Vezo and Mike Campanelli aboard in pursuit of the wily striped bass on the flats, we found plenty of spooky characters in skinny water. Unfortunately, we were rejected far too often as the water flooded onto dry sand. On the other hand, as the water came in, the bass began to put on a show in the channels and deeper edges, making for an awesome aquarium show. Fish were rolling all over and then would disappear - although all we had to do is look in the water and see bass of all sizes cruising the bottom. It might not have been sight fishing in the classic sense of skinny water, but Joe and Mike certainly seemed to enjoy themselves.

Today I got to fish with the Greco family from Michigan, a great group who worked hard and kept up high spirits despite what was a slow day all in all. It's clear that dad Mike has a solid angling background, but it was younger son Steve who did the honors with the biggest bass of the day casting live eels. I also learned a new eeling term, courtesy of a group of Detroit Pistons fans. Where before I called an eel that had gotten into the rocks and come out with a head full of seaweed a bearded eel, the Grecos elected to call Mr. Wiggly a "Ben Wallace" eel when so adorned, a reference to one of the Pistons' hardworking center's hairstyles.

Every time I fish with Scott Simenas, the experience is a great one and they only get better, whether the fishing is hot or not. Today we started at Middle Ground where Scott worked his magic with topwater plugs for some tough fish, which are getting picked over big time and becoming much more selective. The Elizabeths were our next stop, where eels produced a few fish and we also tossed topwater plugs and soft plastics with a limited degree of success. Fortunately, this year the water was much smoother than last year when a heavy southwest had Scott thinking he might like to dropped off in Vineyard Haven to catch a bigger boat - such as the Steamship ferry.

On this trip, I got to do something I really enjoy: introducing someone to the joys of catching bass and blues on the fly rod. Jim Giuseffi gets to visit his grandkids on the Cape every year and he took the opportunity this time to find out what catching saltwater fish on the long wand was all about. Well, Jim got a bonus as we managed a few bass around Waquoit and then struggled with small schools of very fussy blues off Succonesset Point. Finally, we ended up on the flats off Oregon Beach in Cotuit where bluefish were cruising and finning just like bonefish in Florida. It was so cool to see them track the fly, sometimes attacking it and at others simply turning away. There wasn't a bird over these fish and if we hadn't been looking for them, they would have gone unnoticed. Anyone who thinks bluefish are easy should try them in shallow, clear water. Even a two inch trace of wire was too much as we had to go to light fluorocarbon to get a response.

A jaunt over to the Vineyard to pick up Rick Fehon and his lady friend Ilaria Rebay turned into one of the most pleasant trips of the season. After cruising by MG which was a bit slow, our next stop found us at Waquoit Bay where schools of bluefish were everywhere - and they put on quite an acrobatic show as they blasted topwater plugs all over! I absolutely love this type of fishing and Rick and Ilaria certainly found it exciting as well. After things slowed a bit with the change of tide, it was back to MG which produced a bass or two on topwater plugs, after which we cruised Vineyard Sound to Menemsha. Occasional small schools would show on top and judged by the number of flyrodders at Dogfish Bar, it would appear that things had been happening there as well. After a long, successful day, it was decided that a cruise back in the waning light was in order. As I headed back to Falmouth Harbor, I was once again reminded that what I am a very lucky man to be doing what I do.

Mike Price and his sons Jeff and Brendan were back aboard today, and joining them was Mike's niece Leslie who hails from North Carolina. Suffice it to say that Leslie knows how to fish, from picking up a very good bass at MG on a topwater plug to finding bass and blues along the rip edges in Vineyard Sound. Mike and the boys also got into the action in the rips with jigheads and soft plastics the trick, and the commotion really got going when we finished up at Waquoit, with bass and blues all over the entrance. At times rods were going off all around the boat and the captain had to look lively -which is getting tougher as he gets older!

Today I had a great day with Dan Donahue, a committed flyrodder who was up to the challenges of Middle Ground and other rips in Vineyard Sound. We initially worked over schools of cruising bluefish in Vineyard Sound that made for fast action and plenty of lost flies. It is so good to see so many just working back and forth in the rips. Frankly, MG was a little disappointing, with a few fish showing, but far too many boats now that the word is out how good it's gotten. Dan landed a decent bass and then had a big one jump all over the squid fly. Unfortunately, a loop of line wrapped around the rod butt, resulting in a very tight connection and a broken tippet. With space at a premium on the rip at MG, we headed down the sound again and found bass and blues cruising an edge that I have come to like, including a very nice bass that concluded our trip in a very up-tempo way.

For many years now, Steve Sawczuk and Ray Riley, as well as other members of a large Connecticut fly rod club, have been visiting Falmouth to partake of some of our great saltwater fly fishing. Over the last two years, I have had the pleasure of fishing with Steve and Ray, two of the nicest guys you'd want to meet, on the Katie G. Last June, we had some of the most incredible action in Barnstable Harbor, so day one of fishing found us there. While not quite up to the previous year, this day was certainly now slouch as we found birds and fish almost as soon as we left the marked channel outside Blish Point. For the next couple of hours, it was doubles as the captain got plenty of action running around the boat. On day two, I wanted to show Steve and Ray what the flyrodding can be like at Middle Ground. Unfortunately, the action wasn't super hot, although both of them managed some small bass. We also made the long trip down the Elizabeths to Cuttyhunk, but things were suprisingly quiet. Being the astute anglers they are, however, Steve and Ray both recognized the potential for some big fish among the rocks. The conclusion of our two days was in Vineyard Sound where we fed flies to bluefish and some stripers before looking at MG one last time.

After being blown out the day before, today turned out to be a great day, with high sunshine and light winds for flyrodder Dan Donahue. With the tide at Middle Ground not set up just yet, we headed down Vineyard Sound to some smaller rips and found bluefish just thick as thieves in one location. After spending some time catching, as well as watching the choppers surf in the curl of the rip, we made our way back to MG which now was alive with bass and squid. Fishing this area with the fly rod is a challenge since line control and the proper distance cast is required to put the fly in the strike zone, but Dan was up to the task and had a number of follows before connecting with a smaller fish. Unfortunately, when the large one finally ate the squid fly, the line managed to wrap around the fighting butt and the tippet popped. When MG finally died off, it was back down the sound where bass were cruising the edges of a drop off, giving Dan the chance at some big bass, which turned into a fine fight with a 33" striper, his biggest to date on the fly. Talk about a great way to end a trip!

Well, Middle Ground doesn't get any better than it did today for Jonathan Katz and David Harrow as the squid were hopping and big bass were right after them. Both Jonathan and David were right on with their casts and had the technique of drifting squid plugs back at the proper angle figured out in no time at all. The only difficulty today was that the bass at times were right in the flat water next to the boat, making all kinds of noisy displays and encouraging us to drop the plugs a couple of feet from the gunwales. In addition to the bass, the hordes of small bluefish were more than available, making for some interesting topwater action as well.