Captain Brian Kelly - Bunker School Strategy: Lures, Spoons & Flies

In this episode of the Saltwater Edge Podcast, host Peter Jenkins sits down with Captain Brian Kelly, a New England light tackle and fly fishing guide with deep knowledge of Cape Cod and Massachusetts Bay. Brian shares his journey from Montana guide school to full-time guiding on his Parker 18', and gives a tactical breakdown of fishing around bunker schools—from identifying bait behavior to deploying the right gear.

We talk seasonal shifts, bait dynamics, and how to approach stripers, albies, and bluefin with the right presentation—whether you’re throwing a soft plastic, flutter spoon, or a bunker-matching fly.

Timestamps:

00:00 – Intro: Brian’s path from Montana guide school to Massachusetts waters
01:30 – Lessons from senior guides on building a sustainable guiding career
03:30 – Off-season travel: Cuba, steelhead, and trout across the northeast
04:45 – South vs. North Cape Cod: tides, temperature, and strategy
07:00 – How bait and water temp influence striper migration
08:30 – Cape Cod Canal as a funnel for biomass movement
10:30 – Bait breakdown: River herring vs. bunker behavior
12:45 – How fish stage, rest, and digest in warm backwaters
14:50 – What drives bait movement: estuary dynamics and spring conditions
16:00 – Squid and peanut bunker: underrated keys to early and late season bites
18:00 – When tuna show up: dabbling in the bluefin game
20:10 – 2022: A season defined by stable bunker, predators, and insane biomass
22:30 – What triggers the fall run: tides, temp drops, and migration instinct
24:30 – How bunker behave in different parts of a bay system
26:30 – Identifying “happy” vs. “stressed” bait to pick your tactics
28:00 – Lure tactics: soft plastics, paddletails, docks, and retrieves that work
33:00 – Magic swimmers, Sluggos, and when to slow it all down
37:30 – Locating bunker: ledges, mooring fields, side scan, and sonar tips
43:00 – Flutter spoons: setup, depth, retrieve, and boat positioning
47:00 – Leader, knot, and rod recommendations for spoon fishing
48:30 – Fly fishing bunker schools: presentation, lines, and setting up drifts
53:00 – Why fishing structure can be better than targeting chaos
55:00 – Dredging with sinking lines vs. casting to active fish
57:00 – Teasing, bait-and-switch, and fly rod practicality in deep water
59:00 – Lessons from clients and staying sharp as a guide

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