May 2000 Daily Fishing Reports

After an earlier postponement, David Johnson and Walter Nelson from New Hampshire made it down to the Cape in hopes of finding good numbers of bass. I had met David a number of years back at a boat show and he eventually purchased a Martime Skiff exactly like the Katie G. All the odds said Barnstable Harbor and with low water at first light, I was determined. Suffice it to say that Wednesday was a trip like it should be. I don't know how many fish they caught, but if somebody said it was approaching 80 to 100, I wouldn't be surprised. It was pure Barnstable, with fish in the sloughs between bars as they filled and then they went crazy on top. Walter played that wonderful music, the sound of drag paying out and landed a nice 29-30" fish, the first of three such he would catch on the day. All of the fish we caught that day had sea lice and a darker coloration than I usually associate with Barnstable. Eventually they will turn into sand bass, but today they were bright and green, with big bellies as they chowed on sand eels. We drifted over flats and watched as singletons and large schools of bass worked in four feet of water. Chartreuse/white Hi-Ties, chartreuse SeaBiscuits, white Deceivers, tan/white Hi-Ties, and eventually olive/white Clousers - you name it they all worked. As the tide really filled, I took my guests along the edge of east bar and they had their fill of mini-bass. Most of the fish were between 20-24" and just fought with great abandon. The water was cold and it didn't take a great deal to get them on their way. All in all, it was a perfect day and I couldn't imagine better company than spending time with two flyrodders who enjoy what they are doing so much. Thanks again, guys.

Fished today with Michael Thane from Duxbury and his father-in-law Stan. One of the plans was to try and find bluefish since Michael has caught plenty of stripers on the fly rod and wanted a tussle with a big blue. So off we headed from Green Pond to Waquoit in search of blues and I planned to continue on to Cotuit if need to be. After tossing a Bob's Banger inside Green Pond and having schoolies slap it around, we headed east and the rip at the entrance to Waquoit on the incoming was just perfect, so we settled in to break the ice with a few bass and perhaps find a blue in the white water. Sure enough, the place was loaded with bass and Michael managed a good number and really connected when he went to an all-white half-and-half he tied himself. Michael is a very accompished flyrodder and could put the fly right where he wanted it. Unfortunately, Stan wasn't quite so lucky using grubtail jigs and poppers, although he raised a big fish on a Yo-zuri HydroTiger. We also watched as a schoolie swiped Michael's fly and then there was a garbage can cover sized boil as the slower, much larger bass was too late. Jim Young told me a big fish came out of the mouth of Waquoit recently and given the size of some of the pogies I've seen up inside, I can see why. I have to admit that I made the mistake of leaving when things quieted down because we could have probably picked over fish longer, but I wanted something larger, either with stripes or a shiny blue suit. I had found some really big blues at Middle Ground and with faith that NOAA would be right and that the wind would shift southeast and settle, off we went. Let's just say the rest of the day was lumpy. At Middle Ground, Michael hit a nice striper around 26" on a big white/chartreuse Deceiver worked deep on a dead drift. Then things got too interesting and off we went for the Elizabeths. The wind did not die and we ended up surfing along 3-4 footers, heading for Woods Hole for a respite. We tried Hadleys and even went around the corner on the northside with no success. At my urging, Stan called home and his bride agreed to pick up he and Michael by car, giving them a much more gentle ride back to Green Pond. To his credit, Stan never gave up tossing plugs and jigs and I made a promise to call him up when there is an open spot on the boat when I'm fishing and not chartering. For me, it was fight the big stuff all the way around Nobska and L'Hommedieu was even worse. Eventually, I was able to pick my spot without fear of being rolled and shot inshore. Even then, the ride wasn't great, but I made it home in one piece -always a good thing.

I was able to spend a few hours today with Casey Hughes, a character who certainly fits into the category of the finest kind. Last year he and his wife Catherine fished with me along the Elizabeths and that got to witness the pogie mayhem that had everybody jazzed up around this set of islands. We went up inside Waquoit and watched a gillnetter set on some big pogies - and some of them even had stripes. Unfortunately, nothing went back into the water and I had to laugh when the guys in the skiff told me "there haven't been any bass in here." So off we headed for Naushon to see if we could sneak out a bass or two. Casey did a great job of staying on his feet as we rocked and rolled, but despite thoroughly covering what is usually fertile ground for schoolies, everything came up empty. The ride around Nobska was certainly an interesting one, but once again the Katie G. returned us to our destination point high and dry. Hopefully the weather and winds will be a bit more desirable around the Fourth when Casey and Catherine return for another adventure.

A scheduling snafu (no message about time change) left me at Cuttyhunk with no fishing party. So what's a good captain to do, but fish himself? I gave Gene a call and he at first begged off joining me, but then called back after mulling over his first trip along the islands this year. A quick jaunt back to Woods Hole saw me hit some very promising looking areas without a sniff. It wasn't until I reached Tarpaulin that I saw some life, which were small bluefish doing their best striped bass imitation, rolling and sipping on bait. Tied on one of Jim Lowe's Bob's Bangers and enjoyed watching these hellbent little characters jump all over it. After picking up Gene, who thankfully brought along a cup of coffee and a muffin (which I summarily managed to flip overboard as I was unwrapping it!). Let's just say that we put some serious mileage in tossing all types of flies on some very solid, major drifts for one small bass. I swear when I read everybody else's reports, I must be going in the opposite direction from where the fish are headed. I'm determined to find that mother lode of bass that usually exists along the islands in tight this time of year, but the only folks I see hooking up with any consistency are working live herring, wire, or vertical jigging in deep water. Woods Hole was on the east change when we visited and very quiet, as was Middle Ground. From what Casey Hughes told me later in the evening, there was some activity in both places as the current picked up, but the fishing was tough. Gene did call me to report that he was slamming fish in his backyard, but I was too exhausted to join him and passed out on the sofa. Other than his hotspot, the best word I have gotten concerns upper Buzzards Bay and the shoreline (by boat) from Nobska to Cotuit. Right now I've got my fingers crossed that NOAA is wrong concerning the heavy northeasterly blow for tomorrow so I can check out some place other than the Elizabeths, which right now are acting like a lovelorn mistress.

Got the chance this morning to introduce Gary, Jeff, and Greg Zatarian to Barnstable Harbor and the northside of the Cape. Gary is well-versed at fishing the Elizabeths, Vineyard Sound, and Nantucket Sound, but his boat is docked in Falmouth Harbor. So, off we went for an adventure at a location he and his sons haven't been before. Just let me report that Jeff (4th grade) and Greg (7th) grade are two of the finest young anglers I have ever met. Both of them can cast with anybody and they listen to instructions extremely well. In fact, by the end of the day I had Greg fishing the fly rod and I suspect he is hooked. Gary has obviously done a great job in helping his boys learn to appreciate fishing and the responsibilities that come with handling a rod. Even on my 18 footer, there was no problem with the three of them casting all morning long. All of the Zatarians appreciated the clarity of the water on the northside flats and enjoyed seeing fish cruising the flats and following their offerings. There were a few fish in the early morning, but with high water they were pretty scattered and no pattern developed. Even though there wasn't anything big taken by us, the fact that we went to eight pound test on very light action spinning tackle made for some good tussles. For my money, it was another A+ day.

After making the mistake once again of listening to NOAA weather yesterday morning and pulling the plug on a trip with Ernie Valerio, I finally got out with Scott Simenas this morning after two previous postponements. By the way, despite NOAA's thunderstorm warning on Thursday and reports from the Buzzards Bay entrance tower at 5:00 AM that the wind was 19 to 20 knots and building, there wasn't a whisper of wind in Bourne and I just had to drive to Woods Hole to see for myself. Sure enough, flat calm and I was kicking myself. I promise, Ernie, I'll make it up to you. The trip today with Scott was so enjoyable for two main reasons: 1. Scott is a very good caster with conventional tackle and can put a plug on a dime and 2. He understands the nature of the type of fishing we were doing and is interested in learning, not just catching fish. The boat said at the end of the day that we put about 30 miles drifting all along stretches of the islands and there were schoolies to be had, especially on pearl Bombers, a white deep diving Danny, and a special blue paint job Danny from CMS. We also had a nice swirl on a white Danny in Quicks, but no hook-up, unfortunately. We also spent some time bouncing bucktails around Felix's Ledge and I took great pleasure in watching two guys in a World Cat send livies down and then bring up a pair of bass almost instantly every time. Some of the fish looked to be 36" and better and there were also some bluefish mixed in, which is what Scott caught since we could have used some more weight on the jigheads given the current and depth of water and the larger bass around these parts seem to be holding in deeper water. There were definitely more boats than I have seen yet this year and the vast majority were doing herring, although I was glad to see Art Crago racing about in the Honey Blonde. Tomorrow, it's off to Barnstable and environs to the east. Other good bets are the west entrance to the Canal and there are much bigger fish moving into some unusual spots in bright sunlight along the Buzzards Bay shore.

Fished today with Joe Gaspar of Mashpee and his son Adam who was visiting from Montana. Had hoped for some decent bass action on plugs and/or eels along the Elizabeths, but it wasn't to be. There was no action in Woods Hole and only bluefish at Middleground, although Joe did have a large fish break off. Instead, we ended up following a huge school of blues off Quicks that were swirling and rising just like stripers. Other than one 20+ inch for Adam on a light tackle outfit and plug, it was all bluefish and plenty of visual action as they slashed and cut at all kinds of offerings. At times, there were three or four fish on the plug at the same time. Even threw some eels on the way home with no results and one liveliner we spoke to said he hadn't had a touch all day. Definitely not what I would have wanted or expected.

Yes, that's right, tonight I used the six weight Sage and small Clousers to catch some fish where my buddy Gene Bourque has been having success recently. With 15 of the next 16 days booked, I figured I had better get in a little fishing myself before I get down to business and find some fish to make folks happy. It was good to fish with Gene since I'm not sure when we'll get the chance for a while. Word is they weighed in a 42 pound fish from the Canal today and the guys at Eastman's checked in a 43+ over the weekend. Thirty pound fish don't seem completely out of the question, but most of the action on larger fish is on jigs or livies. My neighbor, Paul Fahey, who lives around the corner told me they did very well with jigs and Crippled Herring this morning at the west end on the dying west current. Finally, Nauset was hot over the weekend and folks down Cape are hoping it keeps up.

Fished this weekend with Hardy Murchison and three of his Harvard Business School associates: Brian, Jeremy, and Tim. While Hardy is a very accomplished flyrodder who has guided in Alaska and hails from Texas where the redfish and trout roam, Brian is also a flyrodder from the Lone Star State who was tasting the salty variety for the first time. Jeremy started out with light spinning gear and opted on Sunday to try some flyrodding, having fished rivers and streams for years. Tim is new to this fishing game and did just fine with his new light spinning rod. After meeting at their hotel in West Harwich, we headed over to Hardings Beach where we greeted by the sound of a local band playing at a wedding on the bluff. As I explained to them, that is how I arrange for all my shore trips, with music included, but they wanted to know if they could hit the buffet and the open bar, and I had to eat my words. Some blues had just moved through off the parking lot, so we made the trip to the entrance to Stage Harbor where things started out slowly. We kept moving and Hardy eventually hooked up with what would be the best fish of the weekend, a 26" bass which took a chartreuse/gold Clouser and managed one more fish inside. Jeremy hooked up a number of times on smaller fish with a white grubtail jig and Tim joined him before things really started as we moved out with the tide. All along the flats/bar fronting the channel, birds were going ballistic and there were bass everywhere and everybody hooked and caught fish. In the cold water and current, even a 24" managed to get to the backing against a firm drag on the J.Ryall. Brian was only too happy to break into the fish column as casting a fast sink line became easier and he showed me that he was going to be a deep wader all weekend as all I could see were his the top of his foulies and hat. As darkness settled in, things slowed a bit around 9:30 and confident that Sunday would be just as good or better, I made plans to meet the next morning, this time at 4:30 AM with boat in tow to ferry them over to Monomoy, South Beach, and other usually productive wading spots. Well, the Monomoy flats were dead, just as Steve Shiraka had told me they were on Saturday. The water was surprising cold and with no sun the possibility of any warming wasn't looking good. We saw plenty of bait in the form of small (2-3") sand eels, but I pulled the plug on that adventure and elected to head for South Beach and Morris Island. With the water low, at points we got out of the boat and pulled it across the sand in 12" of water, eventually making it to the deeper water off South Beach. There, a number of boats were drifting with an occasional fish for their efforts. While Hardy and Jeremy took the shore shift first, Tim and Brian worked the boat. Hardy connected with a nice fish on his six weight which he was using with my seven weight XRL 325 grain line and it measured about 22". Brian hooked up on the fly from the boat once we got the line deep and Hardy also found a pod of fish moving along the beach and took a couple more. Unfortunately, Mr. Grubtail and other plastics weren't working and we headed for the flats off Morris Island where there were plenty of birds and bait but very few fish. We kept changing flies and I doctored all kinds of plastics, but only Hardy managed a fish letting an olive/white Clouser drift off the edge of the flats into the rough water. Certainly not a stellar day by any means, but with water cold enough to make your hand numb and a wind increasing from the east/northeast perhaps we should have fished right through the night on Saturday with calm water and no wind. For me, these guys were great to fish with and they were right up there with the snappy comments and solid observations to go along with their fishing abilities. It was especially good to introduce all of them to New England stripers and to help Brian and Jeremy figure out how to cast these clubs we call fly rods on the salt chuck. I have a suspicion that Tim understands what this fishing stuff is all about and I left them by pointing out some pictures of 20 pound fish from the Elizabeths, extending a friendly invitation that somehow I think they will all accept some day. Thanks for the memories, guys, and send me those pictures so I can post them on the website!

While Frankie and I were down Cape doing a little scouting around and picking up some Starboard for the boat, my buddy Gene was fishing with some of his Connecticut salty flyrodder friends. Apparently, they found some small fish in Bourne, but he then made his way south to try another spot closer to his home in West Falmouth and managed three nice fish, one which he measured at 28". Apparently, Monsieur Bourque thought I was giving him the whammer-jammer about the small fish, but that wasn't my intent at all. Honest Gene! After checking out Hardings Beach and other various Chatham locations, Frankie and I visited the High Bank area of Bass River where two flyrodders were doing quite well. We decided to give it a shot despite the cold wind and the fact that I had cleaned out my truck and forgot to put back the warm clothing. So, my nephew fished and I played gillie, and as he usually does, Frankie managed a fish after a few casts and off we went for some dinner and a cup of coffee for yours truly. Reports of northeast winds moving east don't have me psyched about the prospects for the weekend, but what do I know since the web is full of reports of fantastic fishing today despite the cold and wind. I do know where I wouldn't want to be and that means putting off a trip to Barnstable Harbor for the moment.

Can't wait to get the film developed because I took some pictures of the smallest bass I've ever seen tonight. My buddy Gene was fishing in WF and I was too lazy to join him to fish, but I was glad to sit and talk. Using a cross current strip and chartreuse Clouser, he managed to catch three of the tiniest bass I've ever seen. No lie, but they weren't much longer than the palm of his hand or even what looked like small pogies schooled up close to the grassbanks. I know there are all kinds of reports of massive numbers of 28-32" fish around the Canal, Hog Island, Onset, and Stony Point Dike, but I want to know where these mini-fish are coming from. Is it possible that science is going to have to rewrite their theories on bass size, age, and migration? Later that night, I needed something to put me to sleep, so I grabbed the six weight and hit one of my favorite spots down the road. Sure enough, there were schoolies popping and they were tough, but I finally managed one using a silverside pattern I tie which has been a savior for me in the past and what I have dubbed the "Lou Tabory Zip Strip" after his two handed strip which is best demonstrated on Mike Laptew's "Secrets of the Striper Pros" video. It has worked for me this year when all else fails and isn't as difficult to do as you would think. It really gives a fly great action and is worth experimenting with. No if I can figure out what to do on Friday as this gale hopefully gets out of here and the charter is definitely off with predictions of winds subsiding to 20-25 knots northeast. I'm sure the fish will be back, but one of the variables is when the water becomes fishable again in terms of weed. Bass can handle plenty of sand, but flies covered with aquatic vegetation aren't very appealing.

Steve Balser and his friend Jonathan joined me for a tour of the southside, with the emphasis on spots he can fish from his 14' Lund . . . and also a little catching. We ended up going from Popponesset to Waquoit, and then all the way through the bay and out Eel River. From there is was Green Pond, then back to Succonesset, all the way through Cotuit, and back out the entrace to Osterville. The Waquoit entrance was probably the most consistently productive, with both anglers taking some schoolies using grubtail jigs on six pound test. Frankly, everywhere we stopped, there was at least one fish to keep our interest up, including one larger bass which followed Jonathan's bass but wouldn't be convinced to eat that hunk of plastic. He also managed to catch a hickory shad up inside Poppy and they also came up with a pair of blues. There were numerous boats fishing out in front of Osterville catching blues on plugs. Frankly, it was one of those May days you dream about, but unfortunately the later stages of the week look a bit iffy.

This afternoon Frankie and I had the pleasure of introducing Jeffrey Arnold to bluefishing from the beach at Popponesset. Jeffrey is my parents' neighbor and a seventh grader at Mashpee High School. The fish were really hitting solidly and everyone at one time or another was hooked up, including Jeffrey who landed his first chopper after quite a tustle. I managed to get separated from my plug twice, while Frankie was his usual bluefish expert. Maybe it shouldn't bother me, but the real downside of the whole Poppy show is the blatant disrespect people show for bluefish. Everywhere I looked people were stepping on them as they ripped the hooks out and then kicking or throwing them back into the water with a huge crash. Perhaps people are just afraid of them, but if that's the case, why fish for them? And people worry about catch-and-release mortality on striped bass!

Headed out this morning for the outgoing current/falling tide at the west entrance to the Canal. Conditions looked like it was going to break wide open, with terns making some noise and a bit of bait. Unfortunately, other than one fish which came up from 14' of water and boiled on a herring fly, it was very quiet. Checked out Onset where there is plenty of bait, but no fish as well. My original plan was to hit Woods Hole and apparently I should have stuck with that since Captain John Christian said one flyrodder managed a 31" fish. Ran into Captain Doug Jowett at Eastman's and he reported plenty of bass in the 28" range with a max of just over 30" along the southside. Even the liveliners in the Hole weren't getting fish bigger than that. Ended up the day by throwing plugs with Frankie at Poppy for blues; he managed one bass about 24" on a white Super Strike Littleneck which I had rigged last night with a single Siwash I had tied bucktail and Krystal Flash on and had a much larger one do the tail slap and spit the hook. Then it was bluefish; the action wasn't great, but these fish were good sized and one of Frankie's blues spit up an 8" squid. Things are definitely simmering and the pot could really boil over this weekend.

I can assure you that the blues hit Popponesset and Oregon Beach this afternoon. After picking up the trailer from Frankie, I hit the parking lot at Sandy Beach and spied Mike Demello's vehicle. Mike is the assistant manager at Eastman's Sport & Tackle in Falmouth and when I walked out on the beach, he had a big smile on his face and two bluefish on the beach - one big enough for dinner for his folks and him and a smaller one for his grandparents. A group of four guys to his east were getting big explosions from the blues and occasionally hooking up. Unfortunately, they were practicing the step and kick method of release which is so typical of inexperienced bluefish anglers. I also got a cell phone call (somehow there's still something wrong with hearing that thing ring while I'm on the beach) and the infamous Jim Lowe told me that Oregon Beach was sizzling, with about 25 guys constantly into blues. I can only imagine what the scene will be like along this stretch this weekend.

Gene and I went over to Waquoit Bay tonight and certainly found the wind not very enticing for fly fishing, but we decided to give it a go anyways. While I was fooling around setting up a new leader, I heard a hoot and Gene lifted up a nice fish in the mid-20" range. Of course, as is the usual case, by the time I got out there, things had gone quiet as the incoming slacked. It certainly was cold and the wind made it difficult to get any distance or work a cast in the direction it was howling from. Eventually, just as Gene was suggesting we pull the plug, I went over to a large, 3/0 Deceiver I tied over the weekend with white schlappen, some chartreuse bucktail, and a healthy dose of flash and peacock herl. I've been kind of interested for a while in the stripping motion that Lou Tabory espouses in his new book and uses on a striper video put out by Mike Laptew. As I describe it, it looks like the kind of thing where you have to pat your head and rub your stomach, a coordinated exercise that can be frustrating at best. Well, I finally got my hands working together and had a fish boil on the fly close by and eventually hooked up with a chunky 20" fish that gave a good accounting of itself. That was it for me and Gene managed one more small fish before we headed off to grab dinner at Bobby Byrne's - with my buddy treating no less. I certainly hope the weather settles and comes back out of the south. Not only are the heavy rains and T-storms making for tough fishing, but they're driving two of my dogs crazy, meaning that sleep around the Peros household is a tough thing to come by recently.

From what I have gathered from various reports, the action was definitely to the east today . . . and I should know better since these areas from Popponesset to Craigville are traditionally good early season spots. In fact, my friend Gene took some fish around Waquoit after the weather cleared last night. Still, I wanted to hit a few spots around the Hole and the Elizabeths, so off I went. The wind certainly was stronger than predicted, making the trip through the rips at Nobska and into the Hole interesting. Unfortunately, that was all that was interesting. Other than one swirl on a popping plug along Naushon, things were dead. The Hole looks devoid of bait and I suspect that with the cold water temperatures what fish there are will be found deep by jiggers or liveliners using some lead. Even the flats up inside Penzance were barren. Tossed a few Clousers and grubtails along the shore from Nobska to Trunk River with no success and called it a day. The current/tide wasn't what I like (east/incoming), but I still expected to see some action. The only thing I did spy was a huge flock of gulls over some floating bycatch from a dragger as it left the scene close to shore off Surf Drive. I do know some very skinny fish in the 30" range have been taken by liveliners along the Elizabeths, but I had hoped they would be on plugs and flies by now. As they say, though, who knows what tomorrow will bring.

Work all day around the house and a bad read on the wind made for a fishless night for Frankie and I on our first trip hoofing it along Poppy tonight. There were some small fish in the creek according to one flyrodder we ran into, but we continued on our way and simply got blown around. The current was honking along and the wind was only making things even sloppier. I missed one hit in a small, backwater rip, but that was it. From what I gather, the southside was alive for the boat crew and these fish are getting larger all the time on average. Maybe it will be time for a ride on Monday evening before a cold front moves through on Tuesday and decides to push the summerlike temperatures away for a brief moment.

Gene and I put in at Edwards the other day; they have a float now, but the ramp itself is still a disaster. We found fish well up inside Waquoit on the tail end of the falling tide, as well as ruffled water that looked suspiciously like herring or pogies on the move. There is definitely smaller bait in the area in the form of silversides, which were dimpling in the shallows. We also caught some fish in the same locales on the incoming before calling it for the day. The rip at the mouth of Waquoit was also productive from the looks of one boat fishing the area. I have no idea why we ran to Poppy since it was low water and we found more boats than I like to think about fishing the channel and inside. One poor guy tried to cut across the flats towards Cotuit with only two feet of water in the Poppy channel outside. To say he stopped suddenly and started kicking up mud is to put it mildly. Remember to check your charts if you're not familiar with the local waters and always take into account the stage of the tide when planning your passage. We also ran into Doug Jowett around Succonesset Shoal and he had taken some fish on the outgoing water and later in the day he told me there were some larger fish from Surf Drive on down to Nobska. There was also a story circulating about a 45" fish from Nobska on live herring, but it wasn't brought in for pictures anywhere. Then again, that angler might want to have kept it quiet; so much for that. To say the least, we are seeing the first push of larger fish and things should explode in the next week.

My buddy Gene reported to me that he managed a fish from the Cape side of Buzzards Bay and I imagine that things should really pick up in the next day or two. Until now, it's been pretty hit or miss; it's just a matter who you talk to. What has been going around is talk of worm hatches in West Falmouth, with some really large fish being taken. Apparently one of the oldtimers from the area said there have always been three distinct hatches if the conditions allow (little wind and rough water). I haven't seen anything myself, but with the sunshine and the suddenly warming water, there's no reason not to believe the talk.

Sure enough, my plans for an Elizabeth excursion were put on hold by my writing duties. That said, a couple of my friends took a trip down from the Hole all the way to Nashawena, tossing plugs as they went with no success. In fact, they were a little discouraged by the lack of bait and apparent lack of life. The fact remains that the squid boats are heavy in the sound and mackerel are showing up, with herring still heavy all around, so that first push of nice fish should be right around the corner. Apparently, the first push of spawning in the Chesapeake was over a week ago, meaning those fish will be charging up here. With two weeks to make the trip, a spurt of fish is certainly likely if the water continues to warm and winds continue out of the southwest. Oddly enough, those same two characters hit Waquoit Bay with no success, while the night before Jim Young found a decent push of schoolies working on silversides. If you're planning a weekend trip, Cotuit and Poppy are number one, with Bob D'Auria emailing me to say he caught a 28" fish well up inside the latter the other day on a small Kastmaster. Next would be Bass River, although there is some kind of conclave planned this weekend which means High Bank and Grand Cove, both good spots, could be pretty busy. Falmouth has to be ready to open up with herring just filling the runs recently, and if I was a betting man I'd say the first big fish might be this weekend. Last year at this time, there had been some 20 to 25 pound fish taken. Oh, and don't forget the bluefish that was taken from the southside of the Vineyard earlier this week.

Frankie and I put in at Popponesset and drifted the edges of the channel on the incoming and he managed to dredge up one of the smallest striped bass I had ever seen. That is until we went to Cotuit and caught a few that were legitimately 8". I have always argued that the Cape can't support a spawning population of stripers, but these fish had to come from somewhere. Perhaps they've come up with a different set of conditions to spawn in. I suppose these fish are coming from the Hudson, or if they're from the Chesapeake, then they better rethink at what age these fish are leaving their natal waters. I'm also concerned if people put the hammer on these fish, looking for that hardly elusive 100 fish day. After two or three each, Frankie went our way and the plan now is to look for some larger fish from Woods Hole to the Elizabeths today.

Hate to admit it, but other than a little sniffing around Bourne in the early morning rain, it was no fishing for me with a class to teach at night. Of course, that meant that my friend Gene Bourque and his guest Duane would slam 'em in Cotuit. Silversides thrashing about and bass popping all over the place, from 10 inchers to a tops of 26". Apparently everybody had a ball, except when somebody when racing through the channel and put the fish down for a while. If it keeps warming up as they suggest it will, things should go completely ballistic. Will have an Elizabeths report for you tomorrow, but tonight it's still a shore thing.

Despite the wind, a couple of friends joined me for a 7:00 PM departure from the ramp at Prince Cove. A couple of guys were pulling out as we were putting in and told us they had caught a couple of fish. Jim managed a couple of small fish in the deep holes using a white bucktail while Mike had a few bumps but no direct hookups. Definitely a slow night, but the drifts went OK and it felt great to be out in the dark and marvel at the resiliency of those schoolies. The rest of the week should be interesting with warmer air and southerly blows. No doubt about it: the Elizabeths beckon. Let you know what we find.