Bob Luce
 

A legend passed away last week. Guy was a great striped bass fisherman....................

Funeral Home and Cremation Service serving Cape Cod

RIP.

Pretty sure he took a 60 plus in Pleasant Bay many years ago. I'm sure Oldgoat could elaborate on that.

......one of my childhood influences from way back in the tin boat days. Got a few great stories featuring Mr. Luce!

A total shock..He had just undergone hip surgery and was walking with no pain for the first time in years.He was looking foreward to atleast one more year running the Striper out of Harwich.
Since moving to Rangeley Bob would call for a weather/snow report .He would also want to know if the dogs[mine] were getting their Cheerios.A joke we had when Bob came over the house in Orleans to see what flytying/rodbuilding stuff was going on at the time.I'd give the dogs cheerios and watch them run around the kitchen.

Paul,Bobs fish I believe was 68lbs and had the Wally Brown mount refirbished last year.It was hanging in the Fishing the Cape fly shop in Harwich prior to the restoring.The mount is hanging over the fireplace at his house.He gave me a photo of he and the fish on the front lawn. It's in one of the boxes still unpacked up here.It's kind of blurry but I'll get it out and post it if possible.

Thanks Bob. Sorry for your loss. I knew the fish was a big one. Luv to see it when you get a chance.

I'm a lot younger than Mr. Luce but by much older cousin fished with him. Another fishing buddy of mine (a lot older than me as well) was a good friend of Mr. Luce. From what they tell me his biggest fish was 68LBS. He had more 50LBD+ fish than anyone would dream about. My cousin caught a 52 LBS fish with him in the late 80's and it is still his personal best.

He probably had helped tag more Mass Bass than anyone around.
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I also think that 68LBS fish is hanging in a popular drinking establishment in Adams Corner - Dorchester.
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Gee..... could that be the "establishment" that R. Reagan tipped one? I lived up the street from there and used to sit on the cannon at the Leigon Post next door.

Close, but across the street.

Bob Luce
 

This is very sad news. I only met Captain Bob recently as he and I had a mutual friend and boat mechanic. I had the honor of fishing with him this summer on a very extended trip out to the backside of Nantucket. What a classic. I can imagine what he must have been like in his younger days. The man knew how to fish and could sure tell a story. His fly patterns really made me think about what gets fish to strike. By the way he had a boat I drooled over, to my knowledge there were two Duffys out there, his and another one out of Stage. I have been out on both and they are both fishing machines even though run by very different people.
Squatucket wont be the same...

Sorry to here this. I recognize the name but never met the man.
Was he a charter captain? I think he did a tv show episode with Andy Mill years ago where they handlined stripers out of the rips, some kind of setup with a bungie cord at the end.
Sounds like we lost a helluva good fisherman
sorry for you loss

The fish you guys are talking about is hanging in bobs living room above his fire place ive seen it there a few years ago while booking my summer trips on the striper

Happy Flu Year..
I Couldn't recall off the top of my head the weight of Bobs fish.
You have to realize back then if you put in your time it is possible to catch a fifty ,to sixty five with a sixty eight being slim er let alone a seventy two or three
There were a lot of heavy hitters back then and the one that I heard the most of where the ones in town.
Remember this was very sneaky fishing in a small area at night ,no lights and the fogy er the better.
From an overlook one could tell a few from there outboard sound when moving for a new drift,the draft of Nick the Barber and wife because the boat sat low with the heavy bodies,most of the boats were tin fourteen footers and that made the sixteen footers stick out.
There was a plumber,a pharmacist,a postal worker,a clothing store manager,an outboard mechanic,construction worker,wood work magician and I haven't even mentioned the inshore fishermen.
I Don't remember the year the bay exploded but it happened after a local guy took an outdoor writer fishing and then it appeared in a magazine or newspaper.
after that the explosion took place
The end for me was nine big fish one night followed by seven big fish the next. after that welcome the seals

The locals would moan about the Worcester warriors from then on moving in to join the fun
Ithink it was late fifties or early sixties but don't hold me to it

Hoss, welcome to S-B

I was told that 3 copies of that fish were made. Bob obviously had one and two close friends had the other 2 copies. I'll try to get the details on it and why the other 2 copies were made.
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black rubber bungie which was hooked to the stern which had 180 mono tied to the bungie...which had a jig on it...they would then back into the rip and let out the line..the current would then take the jig and stretch out the bungie till it snapped back, the current would take the jig back out again....auto jigging...four lines on the stern....pure meat fishing at it's best.

If Wally Brown did the mount he often did a few casts of the fish. He told me that the fish would eventually fall apart. Maybe Mr Luce asked him to do a few of them.

If you google his name, an article from sports illustrated in the 60's comes up detailing a trip down to old man rip and commercial fishing with the hand lines (great article).

I didn't know Cpt Luce, but he and my dad were friends as they have the same boat and would compare their winter projects and upgrades.

Heck of a fisherman and a great guy according to my father.
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Wally did a replica for me back in the early 80's.
Still looks alive, what an artist.

Young Bob Luce

Wally did one for me in 1990 and still looks as good as day I got it. He was a very interesting guy to talk with.
Great pic Bob. Thanks for sharin.

I too saw that show years ago when Andy Mills and a capt. were hand lining bass in a rip. Not sure if it was him. I will have to look for that article Jay.
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My dad fished with Bobby a few times in the fall rips using the snubber & handline method. Bailing big fish...no catch & release....never took me the ba&%^rds!! When I was younger my dad used to always take me along and fishermen being a somewhat different breed back in the late 50's & 60's, I met some "interesting "characters" including Bobby Luce and his pal Eddie Reid. Those guys were a little younger than my dad and a little wild and crazy and I thought they were pretty cool....and me being "Reds kid" I was pretty much accepted into "most" activities. Guess I can tell this now...my favorite Bobby story. My dad was seriously injured on the job and his buddy Bob Coose had been taking me fishing. One morning we were running the Bay side of the Elizabeth's in pea soup fog heading to Quick's when we heard a boat coming. We slowed and a familiar looking 16 ft. Startcraft flew by in the fog. Bobby must have recognized our boat (a Starcraft Holiday) and spun back around to talk to us. It seems the lobster cart had broken loose that morning from the Hole and Bobby had bumped into it in the fog ...... that 16 ft. was filled 1/2 way to the gunnels. I was a pretty smart kid....I kept my mouth shut!

OTW Article
 

I happened to have had the good fortune of interviewing Bob for an article I did a number of years back for OTW about fish over 70 pounds caught around the Cape. He had great tales to tell and obviously had a passion for what he did, especially the tagging program with the state. Given the complications and issues of life today, it was particularly gratifying to listen as someone recounted a simpler life here on the Cape.