June 7th was one of those days in Boston Harbor that was just incredible.  Huge schools of all keeper sized stripers brutally tracking down the massive schools of herring and mackerel in Boston Harbor.  We ended up with well over 30 keeper Striped Bass all on light tackle.  Here is the video that we shot of double doubles.  

38" and 17#'s.  We thought we had the lead but lost to a 40".  Still a nice fish entry in a fly fishing tournament.  Congrats on the 2nd place finish in the Thompson Island / Outward Bound Fly Fishing Tournament

Not the best way to hold a fish but this one was destined for the weigh in and fillet table.  Congrats on the 3rd place fish - 42" and 23# in the annual BOMA Boston Fishing tournament held in early June each year

The first half of the month has had some real peaks and valleys with the weather but the fishing has been excellent.  We have run everything from fly fishing exclusive trips to watching live baits get ambushed by hungry stripers.  3 of our Boston Fishing Charters have boated over 30 stripers each on a 4 hour trip.  The time is now to book your trip!

Originally Published in Coastal Angler Boston August 2012:  Atlantic Menhaden – The most important fish in the Atlantic. By: Capt. Tim Egenrieder

 

Most of us have been lucky enough to experience it – Whether in search of it or stumbled upon the telltale “flip” on a nice calm summer’s day.  A noticeable school of pogies has made their presence known.  They may just be actively feeding or they’re could be giant bluefish and huge striped bass hounding them.

 

The Atlantic Menhaden (Brevoortia tyrannus) is a member of the Family Clupeidae that consists of all the herrings, shads, sardines and other menhaden.  Their range is from the southeastern coast of Florida to Nova Scotia.  It is one of the few of its family members to breed in near coastal waters.  Adult females produce huge numbers of eggs from 30,000 to over 1/3 of a million per spawn.  The eggs hatch within a few days and drift into fertile estuaries where they will spend the first year of their life.  Juvenile (peanut bunker) and adult menhaden are omnivorous filter feeders that swim open-mouthed often in tightly packed schools where they feed on phytoplankton, plankton and zooplankton. 

 

Atlantic Menhaden are easily distinguished with a large Humerel spot just back of the gill plate and several smaller spots behind.  They have large scales over a bright silverfish white belly with a yellow tinted back and fins. 

 

The Atlantic Menhaden has developed many nicknames over time, several of which allude to their historical and regional significance. The word Menhaden’s most common believed derivation is from the Native American word Munnawhatteaug that roughly translates into “that which enriches,” a reference to their broad use as fertilizer.  The common northern New England use of “Pogy” comes from Native Americans in Maine that referred to them as Pauhagen or Pookagan.  New Yorker’s and surrounding areas common use of “Bunker” or “Mossbunker” dates back to the days of New Amsterdam.  The Dutch name of marsbunker is used for horse mackerel, a similar looking fish native to their home waters.  “Bug Fish” or “Bug Head” is a reference to the parasitic isopod (Cymothoa pregustator) that resides in the mouth of many pogies.

 

There has been considerable political and environmental pressure placed on the Omega Protein Corporation.  This one company is believed to harvest several hundred million individuals of the species each year.  They are then baked and ground to make Omega 3 oils, additives for things such as lipstick and fishmeal.  The only state on the East Coast that they are permitted to operate is Virginia.  The problem is that the vast majority of the breeding stock uses the Chesapeake as its nursery waters.

 

The ecological importance of this species cannot be overstated. Their abundance, range, feeding methods and forage provided make the Atlantic Menhaden arguably the most important fish of the Atlantic coast.  It is estimated that each pogy can filter 4-6 gallons of water each minute.  That math becomes daunting when you consider the size of schools they swim in over the range they inhabit.  Almost every fish in the Atlantic feeds on menhaden at some point of their lifecycle.  They can clean entire water systems while serving as one of the principal forage for nearly every fish of the Atlantic seaboard – (they’re pretty good to use as bait too).  It certainly seems like a fish worth protecting?

 

June is here!  The long processes of prepping the gear and boat, the anticipation through the long winter all culminate in June with some of the best fishing of the year.  It doesn’t matter if you fish from shore or boat, June is prime time for the light tackle angler.

 

The striped bass long migration has brought them to Boston, and they’re hungry!  June is also the month that the main herring swims - alewife, bluebacks and menhaden (pogies) have either completed their journeys and are falling back into the harbor or are just arriving.  These factors combined with 60+ degree water temperatures and all of the increased activity of other baitfish leads to some of the most spectacular visible feeds of the season – perfect conditions!

 

The worst kept secret in coastal fishing is that diving birds = actively feeding fish.  If they’re going to make it easy for me to find large schools of bass, I always say, why fight it.  These feeds, when paired with appropriate sized light tackle, can be the most exciting moments ever spent on the water, at least until someone trolls through it…

 

There are over 20 different species of gulls, 14 species of terns, 6 species of shearwaters, 4 species of storm petrels, 2 species of cormorants and then the gannets around our waters.  All of these birds have better eyesight than you, a better vantage point for viewing and have a more pressing need to catch fish than even the most crazed angler.  If they’re not very good at it, they don’t last very long.

 

Observing and understanding the differences between the above bird species can tell you everything from the size and species of bait the bass are on, the direction the school of fish is moving and even where the fish were half an hour ago. 

 

There is no set answer to this question.  There are structures that coincide with strong currents at stages of particular tides that hold fish more frequently, but it is far from every tide in every weather pattern.  You need to trust your sounder and make note of both schools of fish that you mark and active feeds.  If you go to the same place at the same tide a day or two later, you will often find them.  One of the best things that can happen in a day of fishing is finding a big school of active fish without any birds or other boats on them.

 

I have long used DAIWA Coastal Series rods and reels for my light spin tackle. They are the perfect balance of finesse and power for fishing the harbor for striped bass.  The feel of these rods makes fighting barely year and a half old schoolie bass enjoyable and I’ve landed 40#+ cows on the very same setup.

 

My standard rigging is comprised of 30# FINS braid tied via a 12 wrap Yucatan knot to 30# fluorocarbon which is then tied directly to a 50# Tactical Anglers fishing clip.  30# test is more than necessary but loops can be easily picked out of a reel and the line holds up to the punishment that charter after charter can bring.  The Tactical Anglers clips give each lure more action and make quick changes of lures a breeze.

 

I always start each charter with the 2 lures that worked best yesterday and 2 rods rigged with a surface popper and a lure that can get down deep.  One of the 2 lures that worked best yesterday almost always includes a RonZ or Hogy soft plastic, usually white.

 

It is not at all uncommon to have every cast from every angler on the boat hook into a striper in the month of June.  If you’ve been longing to get on the water but work, life etc. have been stopping you – this is the time to blow them off and get out there.  I absolutely love June in Boston Harbor! 

This is our first post on the new blog.  Check out our fishing highlight video from last year.  There are plenty of big fish pics and great video segments from our year in Boston Harbor.  Enjoy!