Boy have we been battling the weather this past week.  Just remember, when anyone talks about how hot it is, we can be thankful we are not off-Island!  And we should all know that one of the best ways to escape the heat is to get out on the water where it is ten degrees cooler!

Unfortunately, we haven’t only been battling the low pressure system that sat over the Island and took it’s toll on our fishery, we’ve been battling enough wind to make us think about where to fish on any given tide. Bonito continue to be the exotic fish that anglers are seeking but the word in our region is that Bonito fishing is slower than normal. There is no reason to explain this but, up until last week, we were on the opposite end of the spectrum.  Bonito fishing was great until the low pressure and the wind hit and it seems these fast fish have all but disappeared.  This is not completely uncommon, though, and we expect them in our inshore waters any day.  Fish follow the bait and we are still loaded with bait! If you are fishing from the beach and focused on Bonito, head to Great Point at first light and fish the inside of the Galls with a metal.

Bluefish continue to be very active.  All of the rips are holding these fish nicely.  The south shore has been hit or miss from the boat, but if it is a miss, just slide over to Old Man for your fair share of bent rods.  On the west end of the Island, we’ve had a ton of smaller fish enter our fishery and, while they are a bit less aggressive, these are the best tasting fish.  We don’t advocate killing fish unless you are eating them yourself. We see too many fish killed for the trophy and that is just a shame.

With respect to eating bluefish, they often get a bad reputation for a number of reasons.  The bigger blues tend to be more oily, but naturally fisherman prefer to kill bigger fish- so throw the big ones back and keep the small fish.  Also, bluefish further south (Connecticut and RI) tend to feed on oilier bait, think bunker and Menhedan.  Our fish are feeding on squid, sand eels and butter fish.  The meat of animals tend to take on the taste of the food it eats.  What does this mean? It means, enjoy a smaller Nantucket Bluefish for dinner and throw back the Bass and Bonito that are a little scarcer.

Beach anglers are having the best luck for Bluefish from Madaket Beach and on the East end, specifically Hoicks Hollow has been very good. We hear from guys coming back from Great Point on a daily basis and it seems to be hit or miss, that fishery is lacking all consistency.  We also have heard a couple of great reports from Tom Nevers- so bring a big ballistic missile and enjoy.

Bass fishing is now slowing down a bit. We still hear better than expected reports from the south shore at night. The consistency of that fishery is amazing.  I’ve done well with 10 and 12” Sluggo’s (soft baits) but most of my friends swear by bigger swimming baits like a Bomber.  In my opinion, the most important thing, is just to wet a line and work your lure slowly through the water. These fish tend to be close to shore, so don’t give up on it until your leader hits your top eye.  Even better, fish at an angle, so your lure is in the best part of the water column longer.

Last week I mentioned our love for using light tackle, even as light as 4 and 6lb test.  A customer of Bill Fisher Tackle called me and pointed out that the lighter tackle, when not handled right, puts a lot of pressure on the fish and can kill them.  He is right.  This should not stop you from challenging yourself, but please educate yourself on how best to fight a fish and if a fight lasts too long, be prepared to cut it off.

We should see some Albies in our inshore waters in the next week.  While it’s a couple of weeks early, a few fish have been caught on the Vineyard and everything is setting itself up for our favorite fall fish to make an appearance.  Go have fun and wet a line.