Current Waters: Nantucket Fishing Report With Capt. Carl Bois
Captain Carl Bois •
Do you feel that little bit of crisp in the air? I love this time of year. I have always loved the cool mornings and a warm sunny afternoon. We can appreciate the nice days and sleep well in the cooler nights. And yet, the shorter days remind us that the winter blanket is coming…eventually. In the meantime, there is still plenty of fishing.
The striped bass fishing isn’t the “easy” button it has been but it’s still pretty good. It requires a little finesse and smaller presentation, and you might want to think about your leader size. And whenever we have a run of bigger tides, you’ll see it get a little easier. Just keep at it.
It’s the last month of fluke which closes September 23rd. Pick one of these beautiful September days and stock up while you can. They’re out there.
As a reminder, black seabass closed September 3rd, so you can’t keep any more of those. You’ve got to wait until next spring sometime (usually mid-May).
There are definitely some bluefish in some of our striper areas. Which means there will be some big bluefish caught for the tournament for sure. With that said, congratulations to all the winners of the August Blues tournament! What a great tournament for such a good cause. It’s hard to believe this is only the second year of that tournament. It really brings people out and focuses on anglers. We’re already looking forward to year three!
From a Captain’s standpoint, the tuna fishing has been somewhat stressful. We’re having to work for it since they are on the move chasing bait. Every day is different which is what makes it exciting. It’s getting better every week so it looks like we’ll have a good fall for tuna and striped bass. Nantucket has a group of Charter Captains that work together very well. We communicate about the fish and watch each other’s backs. This enables us to stay on the fish and produce. We have a pretty good network here. So the end result is that we’re landing bluefin tuna with our group effort. It’s a big ocean even with a network of people.
In addition to the world-class tuna fishery, fall fishing is when we get to focus on the grand slam of Nantucket Fishing; bluefish, striped bass, false albacore, and bonito. The Nantucket Inshore Classic, which kicks off this weekend, targets that “grand slam” and is a great tournament for tracking the change in the season as we begin to transition to cooler air and then cooler waters. The 19th annual Nantucket Inshore Classic fishing tournament kicks off this weekend Sunday, September 8th, and runs through October 12th. The opening gam for the tournament is Saturday, September 7th at 5 pm at the Nantucket Anglers Club. It’s always a fun time catching up with people after the busy summer and talking fishing. The tournament is hosted by the Nantucket Angler’s Club to raise money for their scholarship fund, but you don’t need to be a member to join in the fishing fun. So go ahead and register, pick up a ruler at one of the local tackle shops, and cast a line. Stripers, albies, and bluefish should all be good for a while. The cooler water and weather events change patterns, but these species will all be around for a bit longer. For those in the tournament, the bonito will be the first to leave our cooler waters, so they should be the first species to target. To compete for the grand totals, you’ll need a bonito on the board! Best of luck to all the anglers in the Inshore Classic! The sun hasn’t set on the fishing. Even as schools start and people leave the island, the warmer maritime climate of second summer keeps the fishing good.
With the change of season, it’s time for us to sign off of Current Waters for now. We’ve had a great summer fishing and just being out on the water. While the fishing is still great and Topspin will still be on the water for a few months yet, the reality of school, high school sports, and the travel involved means it’s time to wrap up the writing for now.
We want to thank all of our clients for a great season. We love all the people that go fishing with us. We love catching up with the customers that have become friends and the friendships that have started. We hear about their kids, and the adventures that they’ve started and get their fishing stories. Tag us on your success. We love fishing stories.
Current Waters updates will return next spring. But don’t forget to check us out in the meantime if you want to get out on the water. If you want to know what we’re up to, check us out on Instagram or come visit us down on the docks. Fish on!