Westport MA on the Fly

Planning for this fishing trip to the Elizabeth Islands and Buzzards Bay involved a lot of preparation and fly tying. We fished with Captain Parker of 'Westport Fly,' using 8wt and 10wt Diamondback Aeroflex rods to target bonito, false albacore, and striped bass. Despite perfect fishing conditions, the fish weren't cooperating, one of those "should have been here two days ago" trips.

On the first day, we caught a mix of small bluefish and striped bass using both fly and spinning gear. Captain Parker generously offered us a second day, during which we had an unforgettable experience. We hooked into some larger fish by dragging small crab and shrimp flies across the flats and a few more fish on spinning gear using top water plugs and soft plastics.

For anyone planning a similar trip, or fishing from shore along the way as I did, highly recommend two setups: a spinning rod with a 4500-series reel, braid, and epoxy jigs for long-distance casting, and a fast-action 9wt fly rod with either a clear intermediate line or a floating line with a clear sink tip.