Bass on Squid, Bass on Bay Anchovies

 A little while ago I showed fellow fly caster and conservationist Andrew the ropes of inshore fly fishing in Western RI from his own boat. I've had scant few chances to get out on boats this year or last so I've jumped at each opportunity. Conditions were pretty well set for good fishing. The morning dawned with pea soup for, which often keeps the bass feeding longer than they otherwise would.

I also knew the July micro bait blitzes had commenced and that we'd be likely to see rafting stripers. We did, though not where I expected, and they were far pickier than I'm used too. These fish are eating inch long bay anchovies so of course they don't snap at anything and everything, but this time they seemed extra cautious and I couldn't get a take. They also spooked merely from our fly lines hitting the water, which wasn't something I remember happening previously.

The better fishing came from bass feeding on squid. Large sparse bait is better than small, tightly schooled bait in terms of easy fishing. Squid eating bass are some of my favorite. They chase down their query with reckless abandon, and the takes on flies are often very violent. We found plenty of bass feeding on squid and the average size wasn't bad at all. For a good while each drift over a certain hump produced fish.

 

Unfortunately, we also had surprisingly bad luck getting hooked fish to the boat. At one point we both lost what were clearly very nice bass, both likely in the mid to high 30 inch range. Andrew's bent out the hook, mine actually pulled the knot. There's a reason I usually mushroom the tag of my Homer Rhode loops with a lighter. All told we didn't do badly though.

July is a hit of a shoulder season for this fishery, so the fact we found as many fish as we did was fantastic. It bodes well for the rest of summer, as gradually cooler and longer nights summon some of the best action of the year.

Until next time, 

Fish for the love of fish.

Fish for the love of places fish live.

Fish for you.

And stay safe and healthy.

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