"A very happy angler with a flyrod Bluefin Tuna on Capt Jim Ellis' boat. Photo: Dave Skok."

The call came down the wire on a Monday evening from Capt. Jim Ellis. The message was: striped bass - everywhere! Barnstable Harbor had come alive again with the striped bass of summer, and Jim was asking me to come down to sample some of Barnstable's best action in years. "Today's charter got over 70 fish!", he exclaims, and I know that Jim is not exaggerating.

Tuesday afternoon - 1 PM... I'm traveling down route 6A looking for the motel. 1:20 PM - checked in and ready to fish... at 2:30 PM I'm looking down into my favorite pool on Scorton Creek, watching a pair of keeper bass tailing their way up onto the edge of a flat on an incoming tide. 2:35 PM - the drag starts to sing as a nice striper heads back out to deeper water after taking my fly in no more than 8 inches of clear Scorton creek water.

Wednesday morning, 4 AM. I meet Jim Ellis at the ramp where we launch. 4:15 AM - birds are everywhere, looking for the first rising fish. 4:30 AM - the water off the tip of Sandy Neck begins to boil as stripers make their first movements to feed on the hapless sand eels. 5:00 AM - one enormous striped bass blitz stretches away from the boat in every direction as far as I can see. I've never seen so many stripers surface feeding at one time, and every cast brings a solid strike from a fish. We release fish after fish as the sun climbs above the early morning haze and begins to warm the air.

Wedneday, High Noon! Together Jim Ellis and I have released an incredible 100 fish or more! Back at the dock I thank Jim for one of the most incredible days of striper fishing that I've ever seen. This has been a rare treat for me, but I know that Capt. Ellis will see many more days like this one this year. The Barnstable Harbor striper fishery is here to stay.

-Chris Windram

Beautiful little Scorton Creek is a wonderful place to spend some time when you're not out on Barnstable Harbor with Capt. Jim Ellis. Scorton is part of the incredibly productive Barnstable Great Marsh. This estuary is teeming with baitfish and striped bass along with plenty of other interesting critters like osprey and marsh harriers. Combine your boat fishing trip with a little estuary fishing for one of the most enjoyable outings that you'll find anywhere on Cape Cod. Call us now or e-mail us for more info.