BOSTON HARBOR & SOUTH SHORE-Stripers 7/9/2007
More and more keeper bass are working their way into skinny-water of the inner-harbor bays and coves producing good top-water action. Very-little blitzing or bird activity was evident over the weekend. However, bass could be seen swirling "fins & tails" on the surface over structure at first-light and at high-slack tide presenting casting targets for anglers. Reports from Stellwagen are that the bass are still there in good numbers as they are hitting the spreader-bars trolled for school tuna.
Saturday's trip was spearheaded by Ken Kakol of Plainfield, NJ who I met at the Sportsmen's show in Edison, N J. Ken opted to book the trip for brother-in-law Mark, nephew Adam and niece, Madison of Winchester, MA. These athletic young anglers proved to be more that up to the task of casting to stripers swirling on the surface. Young Adam struck first doing battle with a 33", 14# keeper that was kept for the grill. Not to be out-done, Dad hooked the best bass of the day; a 37", 20# keeper. The anglers rose a number of other bass, however the stripers were very fussy, and we hooked only few school bass. Moving to the upper-reaches of Quincy to end the day on the ebbing tide, Young Adam hooked two small blues in short order, once again on soft-plastics fished on the surface. It appears that Adam is "hooked on fishing" since Mark just booked a return trip in August.
Dean Scontras and his Dad of Boston were greeted to flat-calm seas on Sunday morning. These experienced striper fisherman spend much of their time on the water off Portland, Maine. They, too, have found that the stripers are arriving late up north, so they opted to try their luck in their back-yard, Boston harbor. Bunches of school bass were showing on the slick-surface at first light. Surface presentations produced the best action and good numbers of school bass to 24" at the height of the tide and the first two hours of the ebb. Dean rose and hooked a 32", 12# keeper bass that was revived and released. The pocket-water of rocks off Minot's ledge produced a number of school bass for the anglers on return to Cohasset.
Capt. Mike Bartlett
B-Fast Charters
www.bfastcharters.com
