Boston Fishstix Blog

It begins...

2008-05-19T12:49:00.000-07:00

Boston Fishstix started the season in style down on Martha's Vineyard. Rich and I were joined by James and Christian for a long-weekend of fishing down on the island. While some of my favorite spots were not as active as in past years, we explored some new areas and were rewarded with fine fishing. We found the best action on Thursday afternoon and Friday morning under overcast conditions. Large schools of bass and bluefish were pushing through the area and eating all along the way. We had great visuals of 5-6 fish following our flies and lures right to the boat in shallow water. The fish were of decent size with numbers of 30"+ fish in the schools. The weather soured a bit on Friday but the fishing remained solid. More and more bluefish moved in as the weekend progressed and by Saturday, the blues outnumbered the bass by 3 to 1.

Overall, it was a fantastic way to start the season. Good fishing, good food, and good company. Christian, a fine professional photographer, captured the weekend with some great shots. Check out a few of his images here and more at his website.

Charters begin this week in Boston. The fish are here chasing a good amount of bait. Should be a solid Memorial Day Weekend. See you on the water!

John

New Website!

2008-05-02T10:58:00.000-07:00

I'm sure you can already tell, but our new website went live last night. Mike Eaton once again put together some fantastic new features (including this blog) to really make the site pop!

Let us know what you think!

John

Getting closer...

2008-04-27T19:21:00.001-07:00

Saturday was boat day. We made alot of progress--installing new rod holders, cleaning and waxing, and generally prepping the boat for the season. I'm headed to Miami on Wednesday and plan to do a little fishing in Islamorada. Supposed to be sunny and 80+ all week!

We plan to drag the boat down to the Vineyard the second week in May for some fishing and filming. After that trip, the boat will be in the water in Boston and our charter season begins.

I'll post up some Florida fishing pics when I return.

Splash!

2008-04-20T17:11:00.000-07:00

We've had a stretch of fantastic weather lately. Rich and I took advantage of it today and ran the boat on a shakedown cruise in the harbor. The new trailer is great and the boat slides off and on easily. It will be great to have the trailer to follow the fish and to be able to perform routine maintenance on the boat when needed. For the best of both worlds, we'll also continue to have the slip at Marina Bay!

Next weekend, weather permitting, we're planning to head to the bank for some groundfishing. Stay tuned for a report and up-to-date information on the arrival of striped bass into Boston and points north. We'll be posting regularly as the season picks up in earnest.

Tight lines for now,

John

Signs of Spring

2008-03-23T19:46:00.000-07:00

While the strong winds and cold temperatures are making it feel more like winter, spring is here. The herring are in the runs on the Cape and South Shore. While out walking the dog on Plum Island today, I watched large flocks of gulls feeding just off the mouth of the Merrimac. I am sure they were on schools of herring (and perhaps shad) staging before making their run up the river to spawn. I love this time of year, even if winter will, in all likelihood, make a few more appearances!

Skiing into Spring

2008-03-14T21:02:00.000-07:00

Back from Alta. What an amazing place. I have been probably 15 times and still get fired up every time. We had two days of snow and three of sun. Perfect mix. We did some hiking and found good, fresh lines every day.

Boat is leaving NC next week and we should have it by Easter. We are really starting to book up during key times so please let us know if you want to get out this year. It should be a great season.

For now, enjoy this little video from the ski trip that I slapped together on the Mac...

Cheers,

John

Alta Ho!

2008-03-04T19:45:00.000-08:00

I'm off to Alta tomorrow for 5 days of skiing with some good, old friends. They have received 537" of snow already this year and are supposed to get 10-12" tonight. Should be sweet!

When I return, I will turn my attention to getting ready for the fishing season. The boat is due back to Millway in mid-March and I have tons of fly-tying to get caught up on...

Cheers,

John

From 82 to 23

2008-02-24T07:51:00.000-08:00

Just returned from North Captiva, great place for winter break with family, beaches, fishing and rum. Really! That's all there is to do . We had weather in the 80's all week and returned to 23 degrees and snow. Nothing like ending a great week by turning the page to the whdh weather blog and pete bouchard on our arrival fate back to Boston. Long story but we made it back unscathed, tan and rested. Ok ok on to the fishing...many might know this area because its the poon mecca come April and may, this time of year its snook, trout and reds in pine island sound side and several other species off the beaches like spanish mackerel, sharks, jacks, lady's, and some other species that I have no idea about. Its great to work off the light tackle blues by casting 7wt and 8wt's and 8-17lb spinning outfits. On the beach side we did well with white bucktail jigs and little green maria jigs. On the pine island side we used darker color bucktails like chartreuse, orange, yellow etc, spoons and soft baits. Muddog gave me some cool flies and one in particular worked very well, a copper shrimp pattern, also small deceiver like flys tan and yellow. I was referred to a great guide through Firefly Outfitters, someone Michael uses during his annual tarpon trek to Boca Grande. Call Ding Ding at the shop if you need a referral for best guides. Check out Capt Austin Lowder of Sea and Stream Outfitters. He's very committed to the fly, not the best trip for kids unless they're experienced with poling around and site fishing.

Feels like Spring here in Boston!

2008-02-18T09:13:00.001-08:00

Richard is down in Florida with the family catching lots of fish with his son Justin and I'm stuck up here in Boston. On the bright side, it is 60 degrees here today and really feels like spring is just around the corner. We'll be catching fresh stripers in Boston Harbor my the first week of May. For now, there is still lots to do to get ready: flies to tie, boat to prep, gear to organize.

If you're looking for a cool blog to check out, visit:

http://nantucketwaterfrontnews.blogspot.com/

This guy really captures the essence of the simple life that is still (evidently) possible out on Nantucket. He takes some great photos as well.

Late Winter Tackle Sale!

2008-02-10T17:17:00.000-08:00

We are unloading some great gear after recent winter clean-up of Richard's basement, otherwise known as the "Fishstix Tackle Locker!" We will be replacing some of this with new rods and reels for the upcoming season. Happy shopping!

John

Rods for Sale:

GLoomis Crosscurrent FR10612-1CCPRO1, 9’, 12wt, 1-piece, like new, $470 new, asking $300

GLoomis Crosscurrent FR10810-3CC, 9’, 10wt, 3-piece, in great shape, $405 new, asking $250

GLoomis ProBlue PBR844S, 7’, 15-30lb line—Awesome SBFT rod, in good shape, $240 new, asking $150

GLoomis GL3, 9ft, 10-11wt, 3-piece—great travel for bass/blues, older, but in good shape, asking $180

St Croix Tidemaster TS76MHF, 7’6”, 10-20lb.—great all-around New England spinning rod, heavy use but very serviceable, asking $50

StCroix Graphite Series Fly Rod 17028-9, 9’, 8/9wt, 2-piece, older but serviceable, asking $50

LLBean Orion Flyrod, 9’, 9wt, 3-piece, great beginner striper rod, like new, asking $30

Reels for Sale:

Shimano Baitrunner 3500, moderate use but still smooth, $100 new, asking $50

Shimano Stradic 6000, heavily used but still smooth, $149 new, asking $50

Penn Spinfisher 5500, moderate use but still smooth, $89 new, asking $35

Other gear:

1 Bluewater flyrod holder (black), brand new in package, $25 new, asking $20

Rules:

First come, first served. Payment in hand secures transaction. Reels may be shipped for $18. Rods can only be picked up in Boston or Hanover, MA. Everything sold as-is. No returns. Cash/check only.

Please call or email:

John @ 978-314-2424 or jmendelson@bostonfishstix.com
or
Rich @ 617-633-6090 or rarmstrong@bostonfishstix.com

Worcester Eastern Fishing & Outdoor Expo

2008-02-04T14:30:00.000-08:00

This Sunday, Richard and I will be working the GLoomis booth at the Worcester Show. Come by to say hello and check out some sweet Loomis rods!

Winter Cleanup and Goings on

2008-01-30T09:11:00.000-08:00

Richard and I spent a good part of last Sunday organizing the copious amount of gear, tackle, rods, reels, and other detritus that had accumulated in his basement at the end of the season. We made some good progress and now know what we have and what we need for the upcoming season.

I also just got off the phone with the good folks at McKee http://mckeecraft.com where our boat is being stored and worked on for the winter. We are doing some upgrades and are purchasing a trailer for the upcoming season so we can be more mobile when the fish are outside the range of our Boston Harbor slip.

We will be attending the upcoming Trout Unlimited (http://www.gbtu.org/events/TU_Hamersleys.html) fundraiser next Tuesday. We donated a tuna trip so please come and bid it up!

We will be checking in regularly so please bookmark our new blog. We have some exciting projects coming up and will keep you posted.

Tight lines for now,

Capt. John

All Done for 2007

2008-01-30T06:56:00.000-08:00

The boat is out of the water and on its way back to North Carolina for some warranty work. It was a great season for us up here. A somewhat slow spring was followed by a strong tuna run in the middle of June (earlier than we've seen them) that lasted over a month. The bass fishing was superb this fall and the tuna were out there for those willing to put the time in.

We will be working some shows this winter and are already starting to book for the 2008 season. June, Sept, and October book up fast so please let us know if you have dates/tides you'd like to reserve.

We will be making a few changes to the website this winter: adding photos and hopefully some new clothing in the gear store. Check back regularly for updates.

Thanks to all who fished with us in 2007. We hope to have you back on the water with us in 2008!

Tight lines,

Capt. John and Capt. Rich
_________________
Boston Fishstix Guide Service
Boston/Martha's Vineyard
978.314.2424