Stripahs!

Day two and I’d already decided my attempts at the Boston accent weren’t going well. If I couldn’t manage stripahs and Boston Hahbah as the basics, I’d be as well packing it in. We the left the dock in flat calm conditions after Joe stopped for a coffee. Being on the water at this time of the morning is special, we were blessed with another light show from the east.

We stopped for mackerel but caught mainly coalies which Joe called pollack in this part of the world. Apparently, the stripers don’t like them as much as mackerel or bunker, so these went back. It was then full throttle and off to find the main quarry. By about 6.30 am the stripers were active and crashing through mackerel shoals a couple of miles NE of the harbour.

As we found the fish hitting bait it was a case of approach with care and get the lure amongst them or in front of them. Being up front again gave me the best of view of the melee. I told Joe it was going to happen, and he get this shot of me just as a big striper took the lure and did it’s thing. You can see the fish on the right hand side of the image, absolutely superb action.

By about 8 am it was all over. We could find bait but no stripers so we headed back in to try right up in the city.

We tried slow trolling live bait and throwing lures right under the flight path of the airport, through Boston and right up past the city. It was really interesting to see the many of landmarks that I remember from movies like Black Mass and Mystic River, any fish would have been a bonus. We stopped to put some fuel in the boat for the next day, and Joe produced some lobster and brioche rolls. A great way to end another super session.

I was even starting to feel the love for this monstrosity, pink with a chartreuse tail, not a colourway I would have picked. Having also now had a chance to have a look at some bunker, the profile of that fish was very similar to lure.