Capawock Charters

It’s 2:00 PM on September 3, 2010 and all of the Cape and Islands are sitting and worrying about what Hurricane Earl will bring as it approaches the region for an expected arrival time of 8:00 PM. I’ve done all I can to prepare and even went out for emergency provisions this morning; meatball pizza and a six pack of beer. I hate to say it, but I really think the storm is going to improve fishing after it clears and the waters clean up and cool down. On the one hand I hope a tree doesn’t end up on my boat and on the other I’m kind of glad we’re getting a storm. Let’s hope there is not much damage and everyone stays safe.

The pre-Earl period of the last 10 days has been pretty spotty on the water. The bonito remain picky and the early arrival albies have thinned out a bit. A lot of anglers are complaining about not being able to catch the bones even when throwing into numerous pods of thrashing fish. Some experienced fishermen I know have even claimed they are going to give up on chasing them if the situation doesn’t improve. My feeling is that when these conditions of extremely finicky fish exist, it’s time to change the usual tactics. With the fly rod we have been experimenting with slower, more deliberate retrieves. The same holds true with the spinning rod although our success rate with hook-ups on the spinning rod is far less. Various small jigs seem to work better than medals. On the long pole, the epoxy silverside "Scotty" fly still does the trick.

One of the more successful tactics for catching these picky predators has been a very early departure from the dock and getting set up and ready to throw the first fly just after sunup. The first pods of thrashers seem much more agreeable to eating our offerings. As the day wares on and the sun continues higher in the sky, these fish become impossible. The advice here is to get up and out early for the old adage of "the early bird catches the worm" holds true when bonito fishing.

When the bonito fishing slows down late in the morning we are still able to hunt down some crocodile bluefish. I expect that bluefish fishing will really start to improve as the water temps cool a bit and they start blitzing on the surface again. We’ve run across some schools of impressive sized crocs in numerous locations.

The Martha’s Vineyard Striped Bass and Bluefish Derby gets underway on September 12 and runs through October 16. It’s a great time to fish the Island from shore or boat. If you haven’t done it yet you should add it to your "bucket list".

Tight lines and singing drags,

Capawock Charters of Martha’s Vineyard

Captain Phil Cronin

Cell: 617-448-2030

www.capawock.com

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.

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 16^th 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.

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 K. 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.

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".

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:

Tight lines and singing drags,

With the exception of smaller bluefish and very finicky bonitos, the fishing around the Vineyard these past days has been less than exciting. I wish I had better news at this point but we are still waiting for more bones to show up and take residence in their August haunts. It’s not that we haven’t been throwing to singles and small pods as they have started to arrive. The bonito fleet is out in numbers and when fish are spotted in their ritual feeding grounds there have been more boats than fish. On several of our last trips we have thrown flies and lures right into them with no hook-ups. On one trip my fly angler put a fly into them at least five times and I kept waiting for his line to go tight. It didn’t happen. My thinking is that each day now will show improvement in chasing the bone and very soon they will be in enough numbers for us to have better results. Up to now the lack of a fishing report from me has been a fishing report. It’s not worth the effort to tell you all about the 3 to 5 pound bluefish we have been catching!

On a recent trip south of the island we found some nice bones. Young Sam brought in a 9.25# fish that would have been at least 12# if it had fattened up. Unfortunately the fish will never have that chance because it helped the Mayer family fatten up that night.

There’s no doubt that the bonito are arriving in better numbers every day. We spotted them along the east shore and the north shore over the last several days. As I was writing this report I received a call from a fellow captain out on a charter who said they were catching them while blind casting. They are certainly our main target species now.

That’s it for this report. Not much news but lots of expectations for better and better bonito fishing. Let the games begin.

I’ve been hoping that by now we would be talking about bonito but their arrival is late as compared to past years. That’s bad news when you specialize in fly fishing and light tackle angling. The Atlantic bonito is a very exciting fish on the long pole and successfully catching one is both a challenge and a treat. The challenge is being able to put the fly or lure at the right spot and at the right instance, fighting a fish that makes erratic runs and has a knack for trickery, and putting the fish in the boat. The treat is eating a very tasty piscatorial predator. The scouts are starting to arrive as 9 year old Billy McConnell can attest to. On Saturday, July 24, Billy fought a bone to the boat when we were bluefishing with the McConnell clan. Unfortunately, the bonito didn’t make it into the boat as it threw the hooks when I tried to tail grab it. If I only had a net onboard we would be laying claim to the first inshore bone of the year. Oh well; that’s bonito fishing. I expect the bonito action to heat up soon.

Bass fishing has been slow although small schoolies are still doable. Water temps have been hitting the 77 degree range and the keeper linesiders are seeking cooler habitat. On the plus side, we have been concentrating on some outstanding bluefish angling with both fly and spin gear. I had been calling them "blue tarpons" but now I’m thinking they are more like angry crocodiles. Close to shore are the small ones in the 3 to 5 pound class but take a little trip more offshore and you will be rewarded with some hefty bruisers in the 7 to 10 pound class.

We’ve been fishing east of the island and it’s been well worth the 12 mile trip. These guys are knuckle busters that run and jump. They’re a blast for both experienced and beginner anglers.

The 2010 Monster Shark Tourney is now history. I don’t fish it and in fact, have in the past felt some sympathy for the sharks that have been brought to the weigh-in. On Saturday night I tried for the first time some thresher shark that a friend had given me. It was delicious! I no longer have that same feeling of sympathy. Between the scientific research that the tournament aids in, the donation of shark meat to various good causes, the camaraderie among the contestants, and the positive economic impact the event has on the island, I’m all for it. Just keep giving me that tasty shark meat and I’ll be a happy camper.

The inevitable time of the Vineyard fishing season is now upon us: the "tween time". For those who haven’t heard the term before here’s a quick definition – we are now in between the bass season and the speedsters season. It’s not that the bass are not targetable but when you specialize on fly fishing and light tackle, this is the time of year when they are hard to find up on the surface. I do expect some good action when the newly hatched herring come out of the ponds and are ambushed by hungry schools of bass and blues, but apart from that, the bass fishing grinds to a halt on the surface. The flats still have fish but they get really hard to trick with the water so warm. What we are waiting for is the arrival of the Atlantic bonito and then the false albacore. The "bones" should show up pretty soon while the albies will take a little more time. Right now, the most dependable target is the bluefish; smaller ones close to shore and some nice bruisers further offshore. The "tween time" is a tricky and challenging period and I hope it does not last long.

Shown above are trips in chronological order showing how the size of the bass is following the rise in water temperature. These trips were made on July 1, 3, and 5.

In the above photos are shown the bruiser blues we have recently targeted which are found in the further off shore shoals to the East. They provided exciting challenge on both fly and light spin, hitting aggressively and jumping entirely out of the water many times on the way to the boat.

If you are at all curious about how "Team Capafluke" did in the recent VFW Fluke Tourney, don’t ask. The photos above pretty much sum it up. We sucked! Oh well, we are all looking forward to next year.

A final note: On a recent trip we were boarded by the Coast Guard for a safety check. Because this was not the first time this year and I had available the paperwork from the first time, it went quickly and smoothly. They were very professional and courteous and we responded in kind. The Coast Guard was doing their job and helping keep boating a safe pastime for everyone. If it happens to you on the water don’t frown or complain about any inconvenience as it may save your life someday and the same crew may be the ones risking their lives to protect yours. Bravo Zulu station Menemsha and thanks for all you do and your service to us all.