Ordinarily the description “black and blue” conjures up unpleasant images, but it’s a different story when we have bluefish and even black sea bass in our midst. And to really question your GPS as well as your eyes, fluke fishing is fantastic. And by the way, there are a few stripers and tuna around as well.
South Shore
“Singing the blues” is the way Pete from Belsan’s in Scituate is describing things on the South Shore. Troll a deep diving plug like a Sebile Koolie Minnow or Yo-Zuri Crystal Minnow Deep Diver by the Tar Pouch or out by Minot Light and chances are you’ll hook up with a bluefish. But with the volume of inshore bait, consisting of sea herring and just maybe peanut bunker, it’s only a matter of time before those choppers create havoc inshore and possibly onshore. Certainly the birds have found the bait closer to the coast as diving terns, gannets and gulls belie that there is no shortage of bait on the south shore.
What is turning up with more frequency is fluke. Duxbury Bay, the New Inlet at the mouth of the North River and Green Harbor are all producing steady action for the few that are targeting fluke. And the accidental catches are giving those that are targeting other species quite a rise.
The Boston area has a larger concentration of black sea bass this year than I’ve seen in years, which begged me to inquire South Shore sharpies about their take on this cool fish in their realm. Bob Pronk of Green Harbor Bait and Tackle told me a few are picked up as by catch off Brant Rock but, not surprisingly, he knows of few that target them. Some likely looking black sea bass haunts nearby is Farnham Rock, Bartlett Rock and Howland Ledge. Black sea bass dwell among reefs, wrecks, mussel beds and other types of bottom structure. And make no mistake about it, they are bottom fish; if you do not have your offering very close to the bottom, you are not going to catch these fish.
Black sea bass will take clams, squid, seaworms – you name the bait. For a real hoot, opt for artificials such as Shimano’s Lucanus Jigs, which are killer black sea bass lures. You can use the Lucanus as you would a sinker and a foot above tie a dropper loop with a 2/0 octopus hook which you bait with squid or clam. Chumming definitely helps; unlike tautog which stick like glue to structure, black sea bass will wander from it, which makes chum especially effective. If you opt for a light rod, these 2 pound (on average) fish fight real well, and for table fare, there are few fish that compare. Just a heads up on regulations, in Massachusetts there’s a 14-inch minimum size limit (not including the often long top tendril of the tail) and the bag limit is 10 fish.
Some of the better striper fishing on the South Shore is taking place among the beaches at night. Cut bait, clams and eels should do the trick off Rexhame Beach, Burkes Beach and Humarock Beach. You best bet for a daytime bass remains the Scituate area where there are no shortage of schoolies between 16 inches and 20 inches.
Greater Boston
Don’t forget to sign up for what has become one of the most relevant and altruistic events around, the 7th Annual “Help Hook The Cure” Striped Bass Derby. The proceeds of this tournament go to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research. I’ve never known anyone who has participated who hasn’t had a feel-good bounce for their effort. Sign up at the Elks Lodge in Winthrop.
There are more black sea bass and fluke in the Greater Boston area than in memory! While we’ve always bagged an errant black sea bass or two while fishing for “indigenous” species, it would have been foolish to actually target them. Than I got the message from Captain Jason Colby of Little Charters who along with is pal, Amindo Ramos, caught 30 of the buggers among a few rockpiles in the Boston Harbor area. And nearly half of these cool critters were 14-inch-plus keeper fish! Jason has been chumming with clams and slamming rockpiles with 2-ounce Crippled Herrings tipped with clam strips. I would prospect for black sea bass around Toddy Rocks, Point Allerton, Rams Head Flats, Faun Bar and Hypocrite Channel. You may also find a few fluke in some of the more sandy/muddy tracts near these spots; it seems almost daily there are more places fluke are being found. Starting spots for fluke are Pemberton Pier, the Hummocks section of Wollaston Beach, the Five Sisters in Winthrop, the breakwater of Revere Beach as well as Lynn Harbor and Lynn Marsh.
If you chase the birds around Boston Harbor, your chances of hooking a cow are greatly diminished at the moment. Unless we get a solid slug of stripers in the harbor, those few harried fish that are left chasing herring and mackerel are probably not worth your time. A better idea might be what Dave Panarella does from his green Lund and chunk up those fresh mackerel among channel edges between Long Island and the airport. The last time I saw Dave, he hoisted up a very impressive bluefish that he had just duped. Structure among the outer islands, such as Bob’s Bass Triangle, Rams Head and the Roaring Bulls, is a good choice for a large linesider. Umbrella rigs will work as will the tube and worm and the always dependable live mackerel. Last Friday was explosive as 40-inch-plus bass were bashing live-lined mackerel.
North Shore
Bluefish have been a badly needed tonic for the Plum Island gang according to Kay from Surfland. Both boaters and surf fishers have been treated to big time blitzes, the likes of which haven’t been seen up there in a long time. There a few parallels to the rush of chasing birds, blues and bass as they roam along a beach front. There are some stripers in the mix as well and one of the offerings the fish have been hitting is Spro bucktail jigs. Things were pretty sunny for guys fishing in the rain recently as they found blues as far upstream as the Route 1 Bridge on the Merrimack River. I would not be surprised if someone drifting squid strips or mackerel strips at the mouth of the Merrimack took a few fluke there.
According to Bob from Elm Street Bait and Tackle, the Salisbury striper bite has slowed significantly but big marauding bluefish have made up for it. The biggest blues are falling for bubblegum Al Gag’s Mambo Minnows trolled from the mouth of the Merrimack River and along Salisbury Beach. Chunkers soaking cut bait should encounter a chopper or two, especially under low light conditions. With a resurgence of bluefish all along our coast I would not venture out without steel leaders and proven bluefish bamboozlers such as Robert’s Rangers, Surface Tensions, and Mambo Minnows.
New Hampshire and Southern Maine
Jamie from Dover Marine felt that the recent full moon put a damper on the striper catching in these parts but with all the big mackerel available those fish should be on the feed again shortly. And big mackerel is not an overstatement as 12- to 14-inch brutes have become common and can be encountered anywhere from the shoreline to the Isle of Shoals. A number of school sized tuna have fallen for live mackerel from Boon Island to the shoals. And New Hampshire is hardly immune to bluefish fever as those live-lining macks without steel leaders are getting chomped off. The Kittery area has been good for fly fishermen who have been putting the hurt on 40-inch plus striped bass. Groundfishermen should continue to target cod and their kin among the no-name humps and bumps in 150 to 180 feet of water between Hampton Harbor and Jeffrey’s Ledge.
Captain Russ Burgess took his Boston big bass methods to Maine on Saturday for the annual MDA Tournament, and with a friend took first and second places for the striper category with two fish around 35 pounds apiece. Those are impressive fish for weekend tournament and further testimony to his big plug/big bass mantra as the fish fell for mackerel-hued Gary Soldati trollers. Through the years Russ has taken some monstrous fish at the mouth of the Kennebunk River, the Royal River and the Mousam River while trolling big wooden plugs. In recent years many have complained about the lack of big linesiders available in Maine, but there are bigger bass than most realize – you just have to present that moby something big enough to get her to commit.
Beach fishermen are finding consistent success using bait, especially live eels on the evening tides. A Gamakatsu 5/0 Octopus Hook with a 24-inch fluorocarbon leader tied to a barrel swivel is simple and sufficient. Bluefishing improved quite a bit this week, with reports of some jumbo blues in the double-digits. Trolling deep divers like the old Big Macs, Bombers, and other similar baits are the way to target these frequently suspended fish. When on the surface anything from Ranger plugs to a variety of wooden poppers will surely produce. Striper Maniac pencil poppers are an especially good choice for busting fish.
According to Marco from Saco Bay Tackle Company, there have been consistent reports of surface-busting football tuna in the 30- to 60-pound class. Small pods can be seen roaming from Richmond Island to Jefferies Ledge. Many of the smaller fish are located on top of giants up to 100 inches and more. Boats like the Danti-Lu, Malmax and many others landed fish this week. Many tales of heartache have trickled into the shop as fishermen share stories of another lost giant. This is a game for 130# class outfits with 200# leaders and heavy-duty Gamakatsu and Owner Super Mutu hooks. Live herring and jumbo mackerel are the key, and fortunately both are readily available. Mid-week winds put a damper on the hot bite, but sea conditions this weekend and for the start of the coming week promise to make for strong fishing opportunities.
Bottom fishing continues to be productive. Jigs with bait on the teasers continue to produce for those venturing out to Jeffreys Ledge and other area offshore humps. Power Pro braided line is an important part that allows a quicker drop rate and better hook-up rate; this accounts for more cod and haddock for the cooler. Slammer pollock are offshore as well. Try fishing the slopes on locations like Boomerang, Trinidad, or other small offshore haunts for this underappreciated deepwater species.
Best Bets
While hardly a plague, bluefish are back. Keep your eyes peeled for occasional chop-fests as blues may make a run at the pogy schools in Duxbury or the hordes of herring in Scituate. If there are no visual clues, troll a deep-diver plug outside of the Tar Pouch, Minot Light, and the ledges off Hull and by the outer Boston Harbor Islands. Plop a black sea bass or a fluke in the cooler and you’ll think you’re in parts well to the south, but you’ll find fluke in Duxbury, Green Harbor, the North River, Boston Harbor and Lynn Harbor. Spice up a Lucanus jig with a sliver of clam and bag a few black sea bass off Bryant Rock, Georges Island and just maybe your own favorite rockpile in Boston Harbor. Or check out Plum Island, bluefish have snapped local fishermen out of their slumber, and they’re catching bass again also. North of the border, there’s tuna busting up the Isle of Shoals, Richmond Island and out to Jeffreys Ledge, and while these fish may appear to only be school fish, there are 100-inch monsters lurking below; make sure you have the gear!
back in june. i was fishing just south of the green can. in green harbor bottom fishing.. caught a 20 inch sea bass twice and smaller one….also caught a pout on clams…i catch alot of weird fish there
Nice report but did the North Shore Shrink?
There is a to of water between Boston Harbor and Plum island that does not seem to be covered these days.
Hope you can get back to the real north shore – Cape Ann – both sides.
Thanks
Sorry Phil, but my contacts revealed a dead sea in many areas, especially the North Shore. When the folks at Surfland get practically giddy about anglers landing a couple of bluefish there’s really not much too tell. But late August has been very, very good to me on the North Shore in the past and I’ll dig hard to find something boasting about next week!
Ron