His is an authentic voice from another era, from a time when Cuttyhunk, Mass., was an epicenter of striped bass fishing. In its heyday, two dozen charter boats worked out of the fish dock on this westernmost high spot in the Elizabeth Island chain, which separates Buzzards Bay and Vineyard Sound. Now, its down to a mere handful.
The fishing here is still good, but times and fashions change, even if Capt. Jim Nunes, who turned 80 this fall, doesn’t budge. The dean of the Cuttyhunk captains still fishes the old way. He trolls artificial lures on wire line in the big tidal rips around the islands from the black-hulled Rudy J, the last of the traditional wooden bass boats working these swift, storied waters.
He may be stubborn, but…