Boston Fishstix Blog

Fishstix Reports

2011-06-20T08:57:00.000-07:00

The spring was great here in Boston. Lots of fish and good numbers of big fish too! For updated reports please check our facebook page here:

Fishstix on Facebook

Tight lines everyone!

John

Florida--February 2011

2011-02-27T18:42:00.000-08:00

Rich just got back from a few days in the keys. Nice weather but the fishing was just ok. Check it out here!

We're starting to gear up for the season with lots of new gear including a badass Yeti cooler to keep things chill.

John

Boston Fishstix Reel 2

2010-11-28T08:10:00.000-08:00

Have a little time to catch up on fishing post. Last time I did this video it didnt seem to up load correctly. Enjoy. You can see other videos on you tube under Boston Fishstix, will plan to get a few things up and running this winter.

Boston Fishstix Reels

May/June in Boston

2010-06-04T12:13:00.000-07:00

Fishing has been great! We are posting more regularly over on Facebook (lazy I know!) Check out our page and take a look at some photos from the first month of the season here:

Fishstix on Facebook

Tight lines.

Rich & John

Here a hawg...there a hawg...

2010-05-26T20:16:00.000-07:00

Old WDonald

Old MacDonald had a farm, ee-i-ee-i-o.
And on that farm he had a hawg, ee-i-ee-i-o,
With a haba hawg here and a haba hawg there
Here a hawg, there a hawg, everywhere a haba hawg
Old MacDonald had a farm, ee-i-ee-i-o.

The Boston 2010 Season Officially Begins!

2010-05-09T08:46:00.001-07:00

We've been out a few times over the past couple days. The boat is running well and the fish are here! Some decent sized ones too! Check out some quick pics over on our Facebook page here:

Link to Boston Fishstix on Facebook

We still have a few June dates open if you want to get out.

John

2009 Video Highlights

2010-04-28T19:32:00.000-07:00

We are pleased to share some highlights from our 2009 season in this video put together by our friend and fellow angler Harry Chapin of Forge Worldwide

Let us know what you think!

John

Wax On

2010-04-11T18:44:00.000-07:00

Waxed the hull yesterday. Boat is at R&R. With any luck all she'll need is a tune-up and we'll be ready to splash. Still some gear organizing to do but otherwise bring on the fish!

Wont be long now!

2010-04-06T20:11:00.000-07:00

Temps are supposed to reach 85 tomorrow! Boat is getting cleaned and waxed Saturday and going to R&R Sunday for a tune-up. With this warm weather and lots of bait offshore, we should see bass in the harbor by early May.

We are getting more charter requests than usual (probably due to the great weather) so book now if you want to secure the best dates/tides.

Capt. John

KeithL wins the Boston Fishstix t-shirt!

2010-02-21T19:18:00.000-08:00

We're pleased with the show and had a blast watching on Friday night. KeithL was the first reader to post a comment and wins a Boston Fishstix t-shirt. Keith, send me an email with your size and mailing address and we'll get the t-shirt right out.

Less than 3 months until there are bass in the harbor!

John

BFX/Capt. Rich on City Limits Fishing THIS Friday, 2/19 at 9pm!

2010-02-16T12:58:00.000-08:00

Tune in to see Mike Iaconelli and Capt. Rich go after a limit of Boston Harbor striped bass this Friday, 2/19 at 9pm on Versus Network! The day was a real mixed bag with thick fog to start the day but finished with bright sunshine and fast and furious urban fishing action at its finest!

Here are some links for more info on City Limits:

USA Today Article on City Limits

City Limits Season 3

Versus City Limits Page

Let us know what you think of the show. The first person to post feedback on the show as a blog comment will get a free Boston Fishstix t-shirt!

John

Boston Fishstix on FB

2010-01-02T13:27:00.000-08:00

Looking for pictures and video from the seasons become a friend on Boston Fishstix facebook page. Mendy usually does all the blogging here but I have been posting some stuff on FB for off season boredom in the photo albums. Also look for us on City Limits Fishing w/ Mike Iaconelli on Versus Feb 19th more to come on the when the new schedule post soon.

Happy Year New Year...fishin!

Boston FishStix T's online

2009-12-19T05:24:00.000-08:00

Happy Holidays & Merry Christmas my fishing friends

We are already planning for next season's fun! So many folks have asked for a t-shirt with our logo and finally thanks to our friend Mike Eaton we have our unique BFX logo on shirts for men and woman because that's just how we role!

So visit our site and see the collection at Boston Fishstix by clicking on the t-shirt icon.

We be fishin soon!

Hung a beast on the fly today!

2009-09-20T17:18:00.000-07:00

More later but Bob Clancy hooked an estimated 68-70" tuna on a Mud Dog fly and fought it for almost 4 hours before the flyline parted with the fish 20' under the boat.

Boston Fishstix goes for a City Limit!

2009-08-26T19:52:00.000-07:00

Rich and I had the pleasure of shooting an episode of City Limits with Mike Iaconelli on Monday and Tuesday. The shoot was demanding and we had to work through some weather but we ended up catching a lot of fish and had a great time doing it. Cappy Rich held his own against the pro. Tune in on Versus this fall to see just how well he did!

Ike was a terrific guest--extremely generous and easy going, not to mention an outstanding fisherman. With his freshwater bass gear, he put a hurtin' on the local striped bass population!

We will be out a bunch in the coming weeks fishing for a mix of bass and tuna. Inshore, the late summer is shaping up great with lots of small bait around. We're finding good surface feeds of 24-28" bass with the occasional larger fish mixed in. Bodes well for the fall!

Tight lines,

Capt. John

Sweet Goodness!!

2009-07-19T17:42:00.000-07:00

Maine to Mass Bay, trouts, tuna, 6x tippet, threading flies while eating flies, 130lb fluro crimping, casting hatches, hooking the blitz, finally some nice weather and the striper bite getting back to normal in the harbor. Enjoy.

Tuna, tuna, tuna

2009-07-11T16:03:00.000-07:00

Richard went 3 for 8 yesterday. I will let him share the story (it's a good one!)

Here's a picture of Boston Ballet Artistic Director (and nutty fisherman) Mikko Nissinen with the one fish they kept.

30lbs Striped Bass. 88yr old Bert.

2009-06-18T21:12:00.000-07:00

Last year, Bert caught an 85lb tuna fishing with us. This year Richard put him on a 30lb flyrod bass. Not bad for the young man.

Thump.

2009-06-18T20:53:00.001-07:00

Good fishing this week. Lots of surface feeding bass. A few bluefish and the occasional tuna sighting. All we need now is some sun and a SW wind and things will get very, very good.

Fish gods have been good!

2009-06-10T17:27:00.001-07:00

Outer Cape Shout Out

2009-06-04T20:11:00.000-07:00

Gotta give my buddy Jeff at Fin Addiction Charters some props. This dude catches fish!

http://finaddictioncharters.blogspot.com/

Not suprised that he put his clients on tuna so early in the season! This spring is shaping up to be a banner run all over the Bay State so get out while you can. We've been putting lots of bass in the boat here in Boston. Mark Ellis joined me for a short morning trip and caught some nice bass to 32" all on the fly. Richard is chartering the next few days and will be reporting while I am out of town.

John

The Big One

2009-05-25T05:10:00.001-07:00

David Kinney's new book on the Martha's Vineyard Derby, The Big One, has been getting a lot of attention in both the fishing community and in the press. It is a colorful account of the month-long tournament and the many obsessed fisherman who compete around the clock for the two grand prizes (among thousands of daily prizes.) As someone who has casually fished the derby and often thinks of stealing away for a month to do nothing but chase striped bass, bluefish, false albacore, and bonito, this is a must-read. For now, we can all experience The Big One vicariously here:

http://www.amazon.com/Big-One-Obsession-Furious-Pursuit/dp/0802118909

Fishing is solid up and down the coast. Cool temps and cloud cover this week should keep 'em feeding all day long.

John

48" Bass from Boston Harbor!

2009-05-21T19:14:00.000-07:00

Boston Fishstix Blog reader Allen Francis from Cambridge sent us this photo of a large bass taken on a live mackeral in Boston Harbor. The macs are plentiful right now and overall, the bait situation is great, especially compared to the past couple years. Let's hope it keeps up.

Great catch Allen!

Tight lines,

John

Nice Work Boys!

2009-05-20T19:06:00.000-07:00

Richard had the Milton boys out this morning and they found some great fish busting on the herring not far from the dock. As suspected, the fish have been very active on this tide cycle after a brief slowdown last week.

I was out on the Vineyard last weekend and found a great feed early Sunday morning. We took 6 keeper bass up to about 36" throwing plugs, plastic, and flies from shore.

The weather is great and the fish are hungry so get out there if you can!

John

On the fish again!

2009-05-12T18:04:00.000-07:00

The fish continue to feed aggressively on the herring. The action was great for Richard and his "sports" Bob and Mikko Monday night. They caught fish up to 31" on the fly. I had Art Spinner on board tonight for the first official charter of the season. The fish were there again but the feed was not as sustained. Art took fish up to about 28" on the Mud Dog bunny half n half but could not get one to eat the gurgler. The wind, which had been out of the SE died and then swung around to the SW. When this happened the fish got lockjaw. We continued to mark a lot of fish and connected on a few more to end a great night on the water.

I'm off the the Vineyard for a few days. Cappy Dick will be running the Fishstix in Boston through the weekend. Reports to follow here and through our tweets here: http://twitter.com/BostonFishstix

Tight lines,

John

It's on!

2009-05-11T13:33:00.001-07:00

Fish in the Harbor? We'll see!

2009-05-08T07:18:00.000-07:00

Heading out tomorrow (Saturday) morning for an inshore shakedown cruise and to look for some early season fresh striped bass. I'd say there is a 50/50 chance of finding some schools working in the harbor.

Tight lines and best of luck for a great season!

John

Cappy J Bringing it Home--Cod/Shakedown 5/3

2009-05-03T19:50:00.000-07:00

Nice morning for a boat ride. Our first trip of the season came off without a hitch. The boat ran great. The weather was perfect with flat calm seas. We even put a mess of cod in the boat.

Here's Cappy J bringing us home in style:

Back at it later in the week to find some haddock!

John

Boston Fishstix Featured in Forbes Traveler Magazine!

2009-04-27T04:51:00.000-07:00

Folks,

Its been a while. We've been busy working on the boat and getting our tackle ready for the season. We made some minor upgrades to the boat including some new rod holders and and improved screen on the gps/sounder unit. A clean and a coat of wax and she'll be ready to go. On the tackle front, we upgraded our tuna gear again to hopefully match the size of the fish we'll target this year. Most people expect the majority of fish to be north of 100lbs!

In other exciting news, we were featured as part of an article on city fishing in the United States. I was interviewed last summer and had all but forgotten about it when we were asked for some photos to accompany the story. Check it out:

http://www.forbestraveler.com/adventure/city-fishing-story.html

Enjoy this nice weather. We'll see you on the water soon!

John & Rich

SWS Seminar Series 3/7/09

2009-03-08T20:59:00.000-07:00

I participated in the 2009 Salt Water Sportsman Seminar Series at Regis College in Waltham yesterday. This annual event travels across the country and puts on a great, informative show. I was on various panels with a number of excellent fishermen from SWS who's articles I've read since I was a kid. I was also joined by local guides Derek Spingler from First Light Anglers and Chuck DiStefano from Skip-A-Dory Charters. Both are great guys and excellent fishermen.

The past weekend was 60's both days which really got my blood pumping for the season. Richard and I have the usual boat prep, gear organizing and upgrading to do, but should be ready for some early groundfishing by the middle of April, just over a month away.

Boston Boat Show--Feeling a bit like Spring...

2009-02-16T09:07:00.001-08:00

Off to the boat show today with some buddies. Word on the street is that the turnout is underwhelming this year. No surprise there... Took the dog for a run today and the sun has some warmth to it finally. Will likely splash the boat for a test run and maybe some cod fishing two months from now! Time to start tying flies and getting the gear in order.

John

Winter Greetings from Boston Fishstix--January 26, 2009

2009-01-26T18:27:00.000-08:00

Greetings from Boston Fishstix Guides!

While the weather in Boston does NOT make one feel much like fishing, the 2009 New England fishing season WILL be upon us in short order. Thus, Rich and I have been busy planning for what promises to be an exciting and busy charter season.

2008 began with a 4-day trip to Martha's Vineyard. Rich, James and I brought along a fantastic photographer, Christian Kozowyk and he took some great shots of the fantastic bass and bluefishing we experienced.
The middle of May is a great time to head to the waters of Vineyard Sound and Buzzard's Bay. The fish are plentiful and always very hungry.

After departing the Vineyard, we slipped the boat at Marina Bay and began our Boston Harbor charter season. The spring started strong, with many schools of large bass moving into the shallow waters of Boston's bays and estuaries. We had success targeting these fish with surface flys and lures.The tuna season began early--we took our first bluefin while fishing out of Plymouth with the Patricelli party from Oregon. The tuna were much larger this year, running from 70-150lbs+. We have upgraded our gear once again and will be throwing nothing less than 15wt flyrods and heavy spin gear loaded with 65lb braid in 2009. If you are up for an serious angling challenge, the Mass Bay bluefin are just the thing!In other news, I will be participating in the Salt Water Sportsman Seminar Series to be held at Regis College in Wellesley on March 7, 2009 (http://www.saltwatersportsman.com/article/Other/2008-Seminar-Series) The seminar will focus on our local waters and I will be talking specifically about fly and light tackle opportunities in Boston. 2009 promises to be a busy year on the water. We are planning to get out with our photographer friends more, brothers Jon and Christian Kozowyk, starting with a trip to the Vineyard in May. The peak of Boston Harbor striped bass fishing is the month of June--last year we sight cast to many 30lb+ fish up on the flats. Tuna and bluefish won't be far behind toward the end of the month.

Finally, we are starting to book up for prime late-May and June dates so please be in touch if you'd like to book a trip. Thanks to everyone who fished with us in 2008 along with our terrific sponsors: GLoomis, Atlantis Weather Gear, Muddog Flies, Hogy Lures, Ocean Lures, and PLine. Many thanks also to the shops we work with: First Light Anglers and Firefly Outfitters.

We look forward to seeing you again this year!

Tight lines,

John and Rich
Boston Fishstix Guides

10/10 Offshore: Sticking it Out

2008-10-16T14:20:00.000-07:00

A guest post from our friend (nut) JJ:

The past few days have been by most standards automatic for the tuna fishing. There is currently a massive body of fish hanging around Stellwagen Bank. While they have been showing in the mornings on halfbeaks, it has been mostly a jig bite. Friday, I had the opportunity to fish with Captain Rich for a busman's holiday. It was a tough morning, with a quick hook-pull the only strike. We struggled to find feeding fish after this hookup. While there were certainly fish around us, they were just very switched off.

Rich and I began swapping fishing stories, speaking about our personal tuna philosophies. A theme we hit often was the importance of sticking it out on these fish. Sometimes, you have to wade through hours of boredom and remain vigilant in order to earn that fish. There is a reason why these animals are regarded as the most difficult quarry in our fishery. We both talked of our intense passion for these fish, how we fish all day for one strike. It really is a remarkable addiction and a truly fulfilling experience when you do get that strike. The runs are blistering, the violence of their headshakes, and the reminder of their power when they finally dig in on the spiral. I never cease to be reminded that these animals have the highest level of hemoglobin per unit of blood of any creature on earth. Their power and tenacity is truly unparalleled.

Around 1pm we got a call from Captain Derek of First Light Anglers that he was on feeding fish. We made our way over towards his numbers and began marking fish almost instantly. It wasn't long until I got tight. Fishing a highly specialized fighting blank, Rich and I were able to have the fish boatside in 10 minutes. A quick gaffshot and the fish was on the boat. The size of this fish was suprising, in the spiral the tuna looked staggeringly long. We put the tape measure to it and realized this was the first >60" tuna taken aboard the McKee!

While we were both in a timecrunch and had to run back after this fish, had we wanted to we could have hooked quite a few more. The volume of tuna in Massachusetts Bay is the greatest it has been all year. The fish have been showing consistently in the mornings and sporadically through the afternoon. However, the jig bite remains very strong. Even when the tuna are not showing on the surface, they are consistently being marked right around the thermocline at 50'.

Interesting Photos from Sept/Oct

2008-10-16T11:37:00.000-07:00

Carlton's unweighted sluggoShock n' awe to catch a hawg on such a windy day

Urban fishing at its best

Capt Sluggo puts his mojo to work

Wonder what it would be like to catch a big tuna

Um er...thats a big fish i gots me.

Supposed to be better than this...

2008-10-10T05:04:00.000-07:00

Early October is supposed to be a sure thing around Boston Harbor. We have grown accustomed to finding life teeming wherever we go. Not so this year. The bait, birds, and fish are not nearly as widespread as in past years. There are big bass and bluefish keyed on the large bunker inside the harbor but other than this, there is a distinct lack of active smaller fish. Many have talked of changing patterns but I am concerned.

We are catching fish on each trip (and there are good numbers of bluefin tuna offshore) but are not finding the wide open bites that last for hours. We will be out there trying through the end of October. Here's to hoping the weather stays nice and the fish find us.

John

Fall in Boston

2008-10-03T12:22:00.000-07:00

The seasons have definitely changed. Fall is here. The temperatures have cooled off and the north winds have arrived. When we can get out (it has been VERY windy occasionally) the fishing has been good. As many are reporting, the typical fall surface action is way down this year but the fish are still around. We are working structure, rips, and the sporadic surface feed and have been rewarded with a number of good bass in the high 30" range on fly and spin.

We do have a few dates still available during the next couple weeks so please let us know if you want to get one more fix before the season is over.

Cheers,

John

Mixed Bag--Tuna, Bass, Blues and Albies

2008-09-22T20:27:00.000-07:00

It has been a while since the last report. We've been fishing a lot--inshore, offshore, bass, blues, tuna, and albies. The weather has been mixed as well, from flat calm and sunny to windy and cold. Overall, while not true fall run conditions, the fishing is good. We have hooked tuna every trip out, mostly on Stellwagen Bank casting, jigging, and even trolling a few sluggos. Inshore, the bass and blues are feeding mostly on the large menhaden prevalent in almost every nook and cranny in Boston. Up to the north, the baby bunker are starting to come out of the rivers and we have found some nice surface feeds of mixed bass and blues. This entire season has run about two weeks behind last year so I anticipate some great fishing between now and the middle of October.

We have some great dates--Oct 1, 2, 3, 8, 9, 10--available for bass/bluefish charters. Mornings or afternoons should be great during this window. Call or email if you'd like to get out. Dont wait as it will be a long winter!

Tight lines,

John

Quick Update--Don't forget to Tie Down Your Boats

2008-09-05T09:26:00.000-07:00

Tropical Storm Hannah will make her presence felt in New England this Saturday. She will come and go quickly Saturday night but could leave a lot of rain and wind in her wake. Dont forget to tie down or haul your boats.

Bass fishing continues to be on the slow side. Tuna are still biting on the bank and the surface activity has picked up some over the past couple days.

We've been out of action for a couple days (the weekend will be mostly a blowout anyway) due to a bent propshaft, but will be back in action next week and fishing hard right through October.

We have some good dates the last week of September and the first three weeks of October still open so let us know if you want to get out.

Cheers,

John

Fishing Update because of the French

2008-08-26T18:58:00.000-07:00

John's in France with his lovely wife and I've been hitting the water without our resident poster Capt. Mendy . Forgive me if my nouns and verbs don't agree but we all cant right like mendy man. I know...I misspelled "write" smart guy. First off, First Light Anglers hosted a "Tag a Tiny" tournament this past weekend, even if you couldn't participate consider sending a donation. Mail a check to “Tag a Tiny” at 2 Flume Rd, Magnolia, MA 01930. Checks can be made payable to: North Shore Community Tuna Association.

Onto the fishing... we have had some cool thunderstorms pull into the harbor this month, this shot was taken between the storms as the fish showed on top for some nice feeds. Other than that its been pretty slow for fly and light tackle. As for other updates the poggies are everywhere and bluefish can be found snacking on some of the schools. The bait is thick and ready for a good chew, hopefully it will go off soon for all.

Meg's got mojo

The tuna fishing has been tuna fishing!! Great days to "ok this sucks" with wind and hard to find fish. The reports from other dudes has been consistent and folks are working the hell out of the bank from north to south, east to west to find the fish(couldn't resist my Ted Kennedy thang here, have to see the clip). Everyone is catching consistently but having to mix up tatics depending on what bait is showing predominance. The fish have been big but with some footballs mixed in which is a good sign, none have been hooked to my knowledge probably because big tuna rule. Dont forget to report your catch at NMFS. Some real pigs have been caught on spinning gear and the pics from other guides have been outstanding. SeeRuge's fish. Nice job!! BTW the way this post took me 5 hours to right um er I mean write.

Bob's mighty Bassana

Ricky's tight

Jeff Connon's corker

Short report and a few good links

2008-08-21T19:19:00.000-07:00

The tuna fishing is getting better by the day and we have caught fish each of the last four trips. It will only get better from here and should last throughout October. As long as the weather cooperates, we will target them!

Speaking of tuna, there have been a number of recent books and articles on the subject. Today, marine biologist and writer Richard Ellis was on On Point with Tom Ashbrook talking about his recent book, Tuna: A Love Story, which tells the tales of the current state of the tuna fishery. A very solid read for anyone interested in the fate of one of our most favorite fish. You can here the interview with Tom Ashbrook here. My friend and hunting buddy Leighton just caught a fish in our local waters that was tagged in Spain! We've known for a while that these fish migrate across the oceans but his story is worth checking out.

Richard has been on vacation with his family this week. He will be back fishing next week when I leave for vacation with my wife. We will both be back in action on Labor Day and fishing hard for the last two months of the season.

For now, tight lines.

John

Mass Bay Tuna: A Photo Essay (Part 2)

2008-08-11T20:41:00.001-07:00

Mass Bay Tuna: A Photo Essay (Part 1)

2008-08-11T20:30:00.000-07:00

Boston 7/24--Wind, Rain, and Fish!

2008-07-24T15:16:00.000-07:00

The fishing has improved a bit this week in Boston as we suspected it would the week after full moon tides. We still have tons and tons of bait--mackeral, juvy herring, adult pogies, and even a few squid! The bluefish have started to trickle in a bit more so expect the mackeral to begin to thin out. Though we have been off the water the past two days for some boat maintenance and a weather related cancellation, we will be fishing every day for the next five days starting tomorrow.

It should be a good weekend and next week's tides are good also. We have Saturday morning, August 2nd open, if you'd like to get out for an early-morning 4 hour trip.

Tight lines,

John

ps Sorry for the lack of photos. I left my camera in the TV Diner studio and am waiting to get it back...

Weekend Report (includes our TV Diner appearance!)

2008-07-20T17:36:00.000-07:00

The fishing remains tough but we are plugging away and keeping the dreaded skunk away. The weekend trips, both morning and evening, yielded decent catches. We found a couple good schools to the north working bait on top and caught good numbers on both fly and spin. My clients today, husband and wife from CT, who were both new to saltwater fishing, had perfect conditions for fly casting and caught their first striped bass. The tides are better this week and with the loads and loads of bait of all kinds everywhere, things are poised to bust wide open. Still very few bluefish in our waters which is very unusual for this time of year... Usually the macks are long gone and the blues have moved into every nook and cranny of Boston Harbor.

Our tuna interview on NECN's TV Diner aired yesterday. We are still new to being in front of the camera but I think we were able to get our message across. Thanks again Jenny and Billy!

TV Diner at 10a Sat the 19th

2008-07-18T16:24:00.000-07:00

We did another episode of TV Diner for this weekend. Always a good time with Jenny Johnson and Billy Costa! Check out T.V. Diner. Oh, and if your wondering about the fishing, its slow. Work structure, white wash and the comming tides. Enjoy.

Boston 7/10--Hit or miss...

2008-07-10T18:14:00.000-07:00

The fishing has slowed some overall but we are still catching good numbers most trips. Things were on the slow side over the 4th of July holiday weekend with the boat traffic but have rebounded since. We are finding bass feeding on a combination of small mackeral, pogies, and young herring. This morning the Ocean Lure Sand Eel lure did a good job imitating the juvy herring. Still not many bluefish in the harbor which is unusual for this time of year. The tuna fishing has been on the slow side too, though the fish are here, just not feeding hard. We will be running a mix of bass/bluefish trips and tuna trips over the next few weeks.

Even though the fishing is not red hot, get out while you can. You never know what you're going to find!

John

Boston 7/1 Kids Love Fishing!

2008-07-01T18:25:00.000-07:00

The fishing in Boston is holding up well despite the summer heat. We are still finding fish well inshore. The bass are oriented around the large schools of adult menhaden which are prevalent in our waters this year. We have had great success using topwater flies and lures to entice these fish to eat.

Recently, I had Mark Lawrence, his 12 year old daughter, client and his client's 10 year old son. Isabel is a seasoned angler and got the hand of striper fishing right away. The fish were finicky at first but as the tide dropped and the sun began to move lower in the sky the fish became active. We caught schoolie after schoolie and a few keeper sized fish as well. Everyone had a blast and dads and kids went home having caught their fill.Richard will be fishing in Boston for the balance of the week. I will be down on Martha's Vineyard targeting bass with the flyrod from shore. Should be great with good night tides and lots of sandeels along the beach.

Tight lines for now,

John

Boston 6/25

2008-06-25T20:00:00.000-07:00

The fishing continues to be solid in Boston. Richard fished this morning and found breaking fish under birds before hitting the structure to find a steady pick of bass, all on the flyrods. There also continue to be large schools of pogies scattered throughout the harbor. Unfortunately, most the the time the schools of big baitfish are unmolested. Bluefish have moved into our waters though the ratio of bass to bluefish continues to be very good. Tuna are here and we have found some decent feeds out on Stellwagen Bank. We will start targeting these fish more aggressively come July.

We have a few good openings over the next few weeks (including this Friday morning, 6/27, for a 4 or 6 hour bass/blufish trip) so let us know if you have a date in mind.

Tight lines,

John

85 at 85

2008-06-20T17:16:00.000-07:00

Bert is 85 years old. The tuna he caught this week was 85lbs.

Enough said.

6/18 Bass and Tuna

2008-06-18T16:55:00.000-07:00

Short report this week. Richard and I have been on the water a ton, chartering in Boston and down on the Cape. The bass are here in good numbers and continue to cooperate for fly and light tackle anglers. Even better, the school bluefin (which are really growing up this year!) have arrived both up north and way down in the bay. We've hooked a number of fish in just the past few days. The hot lure is the Ocean Lures tuna popper and their "SP." Check em out at www.oceanlures.com Let us know if you need info on the local fishing or want to get out for a trip.

Tight lines,

John

Boston 6/10--Big Dog Days

2008-06-10T17:45:00.000-07:00

It feels like the dog days of summer around here with temps reaching well into the 90's over the past few days but the fish dont know it. We have been chartering a lot over the past few days and finding good fish all over the inner harbor. Both incoming and outgoing tides have been producing though the bigger fish have eaten better on the low incoming. Saturday we took a number of large fish on really light gear with the largest going just over 40" and 32lbs. The fish have been a bit picky the past day or so as they feed on smaller bait and the hot sun beats down. That said, there was a good feed again today and my client Bernie took this 36"/2olb fish on the fly, his largest of the year so far!We will be out most days this week. Check in often for updated reports.

Cheers,

John

www.bostonfishstix.com

Boston 6/2--Quality and Quantity

2008-06-02T21:29:00.000-07:00

Rich took the weekend shift and put clients on fish all weekend long despite battling some wind and weather. As others have noted here, find the warmer water and you will find the fish. We have been fishing in shallow water with temps ranging from 54-57. The fish are schooled up and feeding aggressively even during the middle of the day on the right tide. The big fish yesterday was a 38", 21lb bass taken on the fly. Bill had to strip it in after the reel seized up. (pic below)My charter canceled today and I spent some time working on the boat before sneaking out for an hour in the early evening. The start of the incoming tide was great, and I caught fish, most above 26" with the largest about 35", on almost every cast using both large sluggos and yak hair herring flies. Water was about 10ft deep and the wind was calm. A beautiful night on the water.

We have an opening this Sunday (June 8) morning for a 4-hour trip as well as Tuesday (June 10) morning. Good tides should make for some solid action.

John

Living Large in Boston Harbor--Memorial Day Weekend Report

2008-05-28T07:47:00.000-07:00

Our charter season began in earnest last week, coinciding perfectly with the arrival of school after school of striped bass into the waters of Boston Harbor. In short, the fishing has been excellent. With charters as well as some family and friends trips we took multiple parties of fly and spin fisherman out over the course of the week and found fish of all sizes. We have seen less of the traditional early season schools of small bass . Generally, the schools have been of mixed sizes. One cast you might catch an 18" fish, the next a 36". Many fish over 20lbs. have come to the boat on fly and spin tackle.

The fish have been feeding on large baits including good schools of mackeral around the outer islands. Inside, the fish are keyed on herring. In fact, there seem to be more herring around than in the past two years combined. This bodes well for a sustained spring run. The fish are schooled up and often feeding on top. It is not necessary to run and gun to the birds as many fisherman seem to do. We have had great success setting up long drifts and steadily picking away at fish after fish, often far away from the birds.

Flies and large soft plastics have been the ticket-we are imitating the herring as best we can. The water temperatures are still a bit cold. Just 52 degrees inside the bays, and barely 50 degrees outside. We have been finding fish on both the incoming and outgoing tides. If you are not finding them, move around, they are here in good numbers.

Let us know if you would like to get out. We have select dates open in June and early July. Now is the time!

Tight lines,

Capt. John

It begins...

2008-05-19T12:49:00.000-07:00

Boston Fishstix started the season in style down on Martha's Vineyard. Rich and I were joined by James and Christian for a long-weekend of fishing down on the island. While some of my favorite spots were not as active as in past years, we explored some new areas and were rewarded with fine fishing. We found the best action on Thursday afternoon and Friday morning under overcast conditions. Large schools of bass and bluefish were pushing through the area and eating all along the way. We had great visuals of 5-6 fish following our flies and lures right to the boat in shallow water. The fish were of decent size with numbers of 30"+ fish in the schools. The weather soured a bit on Friday but the fishing remained solid. More and more bluefish moved in as the weekend progressed and by Saturday, the blues outnumbered the bass by 3 to 1.

Overall, it was a fantastic way to start the season. Good fishing, good food, and good company. Christian, a fine professional photographer, captured the weekend with some great shots. Check out a few of his images here and more at his website.

Charters begin this week in Boston. The fish are here chasing a good amount of bait. Should be a solid Memorial Day Weekend. See you on the water!

John

New Website!

2008-05-02T10:58:00.000-07:00

I'm sure you can already tell, but our new website went live last night. Mike Eaton once again put together some fantastic new features (including this blog) to really make the site pop!

Let us know what you think!

John

Getting closer...

2008-04-27T19:21:00.001-07:00

Saturday was boat day. We made alot of progress--installing new rod holders, cleaning and waxing, and generally prepping the boat for the season. I'm headed to Miami on Wednesday and plan to do a little fishing in Islamorada. Supposed to be sunny and 80+ all week!

We plan to drag the boat down to the Vineyard the second week in May for some fishing and filming. After that trip, the boat will be in the water in Boston and our charter season begins.

I'll post up some Florida fishing pics when I return.

Splash!

2008-04-20T17:11:00.000-07:00

We've had a stretch of fantastic weather lately. Rich and I took advantage of it today and ran the boat on a shakedown cruise in the harbor. The new trailer is great and the boat slides off and on easily. It will be great to have the trailer to follow the fish and to be able to perform routine maintenance on the boat when needed. For the best of both worlds, we'll also continue to have the slip at Marina Bay!

Next weekend, weather permitting, we're planning to head to the bank for some groundfishing. Stay tuned for a report and up-to-date information on the arrival of striped bass into Boston and points north. We'll be posting regularly as the season picks up in earnest.

Tight lines for now,

John

Signs of Spring

2008-03-23T19:46:00.000-07:00

While the strong winds and cold temperatures are making it feel more like winter, spring is here. The herring are in the runs on the Cape and South Shore. While out walking the dog on Plum Island today, I watched large flocks of gulls feeding just off the mouth of the Merrimac. I am sure they were on schools of herring (and perhaps shad) staging before making their run up the river to spawn. I love this time of year, even if winter will, in all likelihood, make a few more appearances!

Skiing into Spring

2008-03-14T21:02:00.000-07:00

Back from Alta. What an amazing place. I have been probably 15 times and still get fired up every time. We had two days of snow and three of sun. Perfect mix. We did some hiking and found good, fresh lines every day.

Boat is leaving NC next week and we should have it by Easter. We are really starting to book up during key times so please let us know if you want to get out this year. It should be a great season.

For now, enjoy this little video from the ski trip that I slapped together on the Mac...

Cheers,

John

Alta Ho!

2008-03-04T19:45:00.000-08:00

I'm off to Alta tomorrow for 5 days of skiing with some good, old friends. They have received 537" of snow already this year and are supposed to get 10-12" tonight. Should be sweet!

When I return, I will turn my attention to getting ready for the fishing season. The boat is due back to Millway in mid-March and I have tons of fly-tying to get caught up on...

Cheers,

John

From 82 to 23

2008-02-24T07:51:00.000-08:00

Just returned from North Captiva, great place for winter break with family, beaches, fishing and rum. Really! That's all there is to do . We had weather in the 80's all week and returned to 23 degrees and snow. Nothing like ending a great week by turning the page to the whdh weather blog and pete bouchard on our arrival fate back to Boston. Long story but we made it back unscathed, tan and rested. Ok ok on to the fishing...many might know this area because its the poon mecca come April and may, this time of year its snook, trout and reds in pine island sound side and several other species off the beaches like spanish mackerel, sharks, jacks, lady's, and some other species that I have no idea about. Its great to work off the light tackle blues by casting 7wt and 8wt's and 8-17lb spinning outfits. On the beach side we did well with white bucktail jigs and little green maria jigs. On the pine island side we used darker color bucktails like chartreuse, orange, yellow etc, spoons and soft baits. Muddog gave me some cool flies and one in particular worked very well, a copper shrimp pattern, also small deceiver like flys tan and yellow. I was referred to a great guide through Firefly Outfitters, someone Michael uses during his annual tarpon trek to Boca Grande. Call Ding Ding at the shop if you need a referral for best guides. Check out Capt Austin Lowder of Sea and Stream Outfitters. He's very committed to the fly, not the best trip for kids unless they're experienced with poling around and site fishing.

Feels like Spring here in Boston!

2008-02-18T09:13:00.001-08:00

Richard is down in Florida with the family catching lots of fish with his son Justin and I'm stuck up here in Boston. On the bright side, it is 60 degrees here today and really feels like spring is just around the corner. We'll be catching fresh stripers in Boston Harbor my the first week of May. For now, there is still lots to do to get ready: flies to tie, boat to prep, gear to organize.

If you're looking for a cool blog to check out, visit:

http://nantucketwaterfrontnews.blogspot.com/

This guy really captures the essence of the simple life that is still (evidently) possible out on Nantucket. He takes some great photos as well.

Late Winter Tackle Sale!

2008-02-10T17:17:00.000-08:00

We are unloading some great gear after recent winter clean-up of Richard's basement, otherwise known as the "Fishstix Tackle Locker!" We will be replacing some of this with new rods and reels for the upcoming season. Happy shopping!

John

Rods for Sale:

GLoomis Crosscurrent FR10612-1CCPRO1, 9’, 12wt, 1-piece, like new, $470 new, asking $300

GLoomis Crosscurrent FR10810-3CC, 9’, 10wt, 3-piece, in great shape, $405 new, asking $250

GLoomis ProBlue PBR844S, 7’, 15-30lb line—Awesome SBFT rod, in good shape, $240 new, asking $150

GLoomis GL3, 9ft, 10-11wt, 3-piece—great travel for bass/blues, older, but in good shape, asking $180

St Croix Tidemaster TS76MHF, 7’6”, 10-20lb.—great all-around New England spinning rod, heavy use but very serviceable, asking $50

StCroix Graphite Series Fly Rod 17028-9, 9’, 8/9wt, 2-piece, older but serviceable, asking $50

LLBean Orion Flyrod, 9’, 9wt, 3-piece, great beginner striper rod, like new, asking $30

Reels for Sale:

Shimano Baitrunner 3500, moderate use but still smooth, $100 new, asking $50

Shimano Stradic 6000, heavily used but still smooth, $149 new, asking $50

Penn Spinfisher 5500, moderate use but still smooth, $89 new, asking $35

Other gear:

1 Bluewater flyrod holder (black), brand new in package, $25 new, asking $20

Rules:

First come, first served. Payment in hand secures transaction. Reels may be shipped for $18. Rods can only be picked up in Boston or Hanover, MA. Everything sold as-is. No returns. Cash/check only.

Please call or email:

John @ 978-314-2424 or jmendelson@bostonfishstix.com
or
Rich @ 617-633-6090 or rarmstrong@bostonfishstix.com

Worcester Eastern Fishing & Outdoor Expo

2008-02-04T14:30:00.000-08:00

This Sunday, Richard and I will be working the GLoomis booth at the Worcester Show. Come by to say hello and check out some sweet Loomis rods!

Winter Cleanup and Goings on

2008-01-30T09:11:00.000-08:00

Richard and I spent a good part of last Sunday organizing the copious amount of gear, tackle, rods, reels, and other detritus that had accumulated in his basement at the end of the season. We made some good progress and now know what we have and what we need for the upcoming season.

I also just got off the phone with the good folks at McKee http://mckeecraft.com where our boat is being stored and worked on for the winter. We are doing some upgrades and are purchasing a trailer for the upcoming season so we can be more mobile when the fish are outside the range of our Boston Harbor slip.

We will be attending the upcoming Trout Unlimited (http://www.gbtu.org/events/TU_Hamersleys.html) fundraiser next Tuesday. We donated a tuna trip so please come and bid it up!

We will be checking in regularly so please bookmark our new blog. We have some exciting projects coming up and will keep you posted.

Tight lines for now,

Capt. John

All Done for 2007

2008-01-30T06:56:00.000-08:00

The boat is out of the water and on its way back to North Carolina for some warranty work. It was a great season for us up here. A somewhat slow spring was followed by a strong tuna run in the middle of June (earlier than we've seen them) that lasted over a month. The bass fishing was superb this fall and the tuna were out there for those willing to put the time in.

We will be working some shows this winter and are already starting to book for the 2008 season. June, Sept, and October book up fast so please let us know if you have dates/tides you'd like to reserve.

We will be making a few changes to the website this winter: adding photos and hopefully some new clothing in the gear store. Check back regularly for updates.

Thanks to all who fished with us in 2007. We hope to have you back on the water with us in 2008!

Tight lines,

Capt. John and Capt. Rich
_________________
Boston Fishstix Guide Service
Boston/Martha's Vineyard
978.314.2424