Vineyard Fishing Report, Newtonville, MA, 8-22-10

[Saltwater Fishing]

Bones, bones and more bones…

If you are looking for an Atlantic bonito fishing location right now, the Vineyard is the place to be. Now you have to realize I said “fishing” and not “catching”. In the last 10 days we have had bones, bones, and more bones filter into the island’s inshore waters. There are as many if not more as I’ve seen in a while. The problem is getting them to bite. I don’t know any other experienced bonito fisherman who won’t say the same thing. This batch of bones is the most finicky I have ever experienced. Fly anglers are having a little more luck with them but spin fishermen are pulling their hair out. Some have had mixed luck throwing unconventional lures such as jigs but the old standby Marias, Deadly Dicks, Sweedish Pimples, L-Jacks, etc., etc., have been almost totally ignored. As far as fly fishing is concerned I have been a fan of the Epoxy Silverside patterns for years and almost exclusively throw them at the funny fish. Even these are being ignored most of the time. I don’t know the answer or I’d share it with you but I do know that sometimes thinking outside of the box is the way to go. The bait is tiny but perhaps when the fish get on to the larger silversides and sandeels things will change. If you have been getting frustrated throwing everything in your arsenal at these fish don’t fret as you are not alone. Keep at it and the situation may change soon.

John S. brings a lit up slasher onboard!

There was no hesitation pouncing upon this lure but it didn’t work on others!

Several of the bonito chasing trips I took out this past week came back empty handed. Most experienced anglers know this can happen when bonito fishing and except it with the knowledge that next time things may change. The excitement of throwing into slashing pods of aggressive bones is a thrill in itself. Hooking and fighting a bonito on fly or light spinning gear is what brings anglers back for more. Speaking of a thrill, on August 16th I came across a fast moving pod of little tunny and managed to rope one with the fly rod. It was one of the toughest battles an albie has given me. After snapping a photo of the double digit core it was released to fight another day. The point of mentioning this is that the albies are starting to filter in.

My first albie of the year. A nice double digit core caught on August 16th!

For those not wanting to undergo the frustration of chasing bones all day there are still loads of decent bluefish and small bass to consider. I’ve been travelling a little east of the island to find bigger bluefish and anglers have been rewarded with multiple hook-ups and hard pulling fights.

I had the very distinct honor and privilege of taking out an American hero recently. Sgt. Matt Koerber spent 4 years in the Marines and was deployed to Iraq. He decided that wasn’t enough and so he became a member of the Army Special Forces and was deployed to Afghanistan from which he just returned. After a brief stay stateside he will return to Afghanistan later in the year for another tour of duty. Aside from being an excellent representative of our members in the armed forces he is an expert angler. Matt managed to bring a bone to the boat and enjoyed his first run at chasing bones. Thank you for your service to the country Matt and God bless our men and women in uniform.

Sgt. Matt Koerber brings his first fly rod bonito to the boat!
Another privilege for me this past week was having my youngest grandson come onboard for his first trip out on the boat. We handled it like a “sea trial” and all hands were prepared for any situation including a screaming out of control land lubber. We’ll pictures do tell all and here is one of young Brendan all smiles looking forward to fishing with “Cappy”.

Final Word:
Experienced and inexperienced anglers have their own way of fishing for bonito and it’s not up to me to say what’s right and what’s wrong. However, in the heat of battle when many boats are in the bonito fishing grounds there are a few general rules we all should follow. It’s really pretty simple and breaks down to these:

1. Be courteous
2. Don’t cross the bow of a boat drifting toward fish
3. Keep the running and gunning down to a minimum
4. Realize that patience is a virtue
5. Have fun and don’t take it to seriously

Tight lines and singing drags,


Capawock Charters of Martha’s Vineyard
Captain Phil Cronin
Cell: 617-448-2030
www.capawock.com

[keywestdrew]

Thanks for the great report AND for showing one of our service guys a great time. Grandson looks like he is enjoying himself. Get him a rod!