Matt Nugent with a nice bass taken in Buzzards Bay, May 21, 2012. Photos/BoatingLocal, Tom Richardson

Now that large striped bass and bluefish have moved into Buzzards Bay, Capt. Corey Pietraszek of Plug n’ Play Charters offers the following advice on targeting these fish on light tackle and fly gear.

  • Use all-white flies that are durable and flashy. Fish them on intermediate lines in fast strips, just below the surface.
  • Use heavy-sink lines on schooling bass that are 12’ to 20’ deep. Be patient. Get all your line out up-wind and allow it to sink by piling the line close to the boat allowing it to sink with very little drag.
  • Bigger fish are deeper. To reach these fish, try 7” Tsunami Deep Shads and standard white bucktails with a RonZ trailer for added action.

Tsunami Deep Shad

  • Use your fishfinder to find a concentration of bait. If you mark bait, try blind-casting the area. We’ve had fish come up to hit surface lures in 25’ of water, even when we didn’t mark them on the sounder.
  • In the topwater department, the After Hours Dookster and Tattoo Sea Dog have been working great. In terms of color, anything white seems to outfish everything else.

For those needing a large surface presence the AH MEGA DOOKSTER, this large attractor plug is 9" long and weighs in at 5 1/4oz.

  • Patience pays: This time of year the fish are moving. One day they’re here, the next day they’re gone. Start fishing where you found fish the same time last season and work from there. Factor in the direction of wind and tide and try to move in the same direction in search of life, both on the surface and below.
  • Watch the birds to see which direction they are flying, then follow them. This can help you in your search.

Terns can lead you to fish.

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