True to form, a late August storm will awaken our fisheries, and Irene was no exception. Pick your passion, from blues to bass to cod to tuna, from the South Shore to the New Hampshire coast, and you’ll find promising fishing out there. And if you’re a surf fisherman who has been out and about from the North Shore and points northward, you’re probably well aware that angling action has kicked in among the suds.
Massachusetts South Shore
Gator blues are slamming trolling plugs, such as orange/gold Rapala CD 18s, just outside of the Pilgrim Power Plant up to The Gurnet off Duxbury. Occasional surface spectacles have been popping up, making for exciting topwater action. The march of the bluefish continues into Green Harbor, according to Bob from Green Harbor Bait and Tackle. When asked what they are hitting, Bob replied, “Anything: they’re bluefish!” Of course, there are times when they’re less ferocious and more fussy, but when the “bite” is on, blues do seem to have an appetite toward darn near anything thrown their way.
If a striper shindig is what you have in mind, set your sights on the Scituate area. According to Pete from Belsan’s, the sizzling linesider action that took place before the storm, if anything, has intensified thanks to Irene. This is shallow-water stuff, and bass up to 35 pounds have been taken in the wash of Egypt Beach and Peggotty Beach. The odds-on best method is casting eels from dusk to dawn. You can still find mackerel so if you want to score when the sun’s up, live-lining them just outside these beaches might be the best daytime option.
Greater Boston
The last person I expected to give me a hot tip on the harbor is Nat Moody of First Light Anglers in Rowley, but I’m sure glad he was in the Boston area on Wednesday. In the vicinity of the airport was the biggest blitz he had witnessed all season long. Both bass and blues were busting up baitfish, with two distinct schools of stripers present: 26-inch to 28-inch fish and then much larger up to 35 inches. The blues were smallish 5-pounders but hellions on the line. Landlubbers looking for a piece of the fun are picking up a lot of fish while chunking from Castle Island. Considering that we are now in the wonderful month of September, the odds are pretty good that this sort of activity will be par for the course for well over a month!
It’s never a bad time to plug for big bass come dark, but beginning in September it becomes one of the more effective methods for the largest linesiders in the bunch. On a nighttime flooding tide earlier in the week, my friend Captain Russ Burgess and I were set up on a rip just east of Deer Island, and what was remarkable wasn’t what we caught but what we lost, namely the belly hook on a like-new Danny plug. A tremendous striper slammed the white plug at the edge of the rip-line, nearly yanking the rod out of my hands. I was mystified that the hooks did not gain purchase in the maw of what certainly was a cow, until upon examination of the sorry-looking plug I noticed that this extra strong treble had been ripped off the belly swivel of the plug. When you have your fill of schoolies and blues, check out one of the dozens of rips that define Boston Harbor and float a large profile offering into the edge where the calm meets the cauldron; just make sure your hooks are up to the task.
North Shore
Revere Beach has been rocking over the last week as both boaters and surf fishers have been taking stripers, especially toward the Beachmont side of the beach by the breakwater. The morning tides look awfully promising over the next few days -0 some of my best outings on this beach have been during dawn ebbs. Clams, eels, pencil poppers, spooks, and Kastmasters are among my favorites from this beach. Rise early and carry a sweet stick just in case you have to reach far-out fish
Lynn and Kings beaches have also been hot. Surf guys have been taking first light fish up to 36 inches long on a regular basis. I did get a report that just before the blow the bass were just out of range from the casting crowd, but storms invariably bring bass in closer as they rummage around for mollusks and crustaceans.
Peter from Fin and Feather must feel like a telemarketer – he can’t get anyone to return his call. The “anyone” in this case is the diehard surf rats that patronize the shop and must be bailing bass among the crags of the North Shore because they’re behaving so stealthy. Check out Niles Beach and the nearby Dog Bar Breakwater in Gloucester. Access can be tough, but a Cape Cod Canal-style bike can help you reach Loblolly Cove, which has given up more than a few cows in the past. It might be time to start making the Route 127 cruise as this road has great sight lines and puts you within view of blitzes among some of the best surf fishing destinations in Cape Ann.
According to Kay from Surfland, the most successful anglers are tailoring their offerings to match the preponderance of small bait that is present in Plum Island. Dropper loops ahead of a plug, jig or spoon and featuring a simply tied streamer, usually white, have been making a difference in catch rates, since the forage is consisting of sand eels and brit herring. Don’t be shy if you don’t know anything about dropper loops, ask Kay and the crew from Surfland; it’ll feel as if a light switch was turned on, once you know this technique. There have been a few fish bested in the Merrimack River, but most of the action is taking place between Lots 2 and 6 in the Parker River Wildlife Reservation. The best recent catch was a nicely proportioned 34-pounder that gulped a clam.
Nat from First Light Anglers told me that tuna are in Ipswich Bay but the sizes vary wildly. If you are a recreational angler bent on catching a “keeper” tuna, Stellwagen Bank is a better place to be as a number of upper-50-inch fish have taken up residence. Slug-Gos or other stickbait artificials rigged on a jig head a are doing the trick since the fish are feeding on sand eels. In Ipswich Bay the bait is comprised of northern halfbeaks and herring. Diamond jigs or Butterfly Jigs should do well in Ipswich.
New Hampshire and Southern Maine
Chad from Dover Marine reflected on Irene and told me of an intrepid angler who was out on Sunday Morning, just before the storm really belted the coastline of New Hampshire, and this guy was privy to big bass blasting mackerel off the structure off the Nubble Lighthouse. Now that things have settled down, there are bass and bluefish in the Piscataqua River near the General Sullivan Bridge. Farther out, the rocks of Hampton and Rye Beaches continue to fish the best, especially for shore fishermen. Many are excited that the cooler nights reduce foot traffic on the beaches, leaving the coast quiet and perfect for catching cows. Irene blew in oxygenated green water that plummeted temperatures by as much as 10 degrees in New Hampshire, and this could be a catalyst for better fishing.
While other locations are not feeling much in the way of ill effects from Irene, Southern Maine has not been spared. Weedy coffee-colored water has resulted in little if any success on the fishing front. Once things clear up there should still be mackerel within the vicinity of Wood Island, and you may be able to jig some up with a Sabiki Rig; chum will help. The surf gang should be tossing out clams in the salt chuck at Pine Point, Higgins Beach (especially the jetty) and Bay View at Saco. While I don’t have confirmation, I suspect that the cooler water temperatures should jumpstart the striper and blue fishing. Before the storm, the groundfishing was good in 180 to 220 feet of water from the Northern side of Jeffreys Ledge.
Best Bets
Can it truly be that the Labor Day Holiday is upon us, the last holiday of the summer? With that said make sure the only “labor” you do this weekend is your “labor of love” – fishing (within reason, of course!). On the South Shore, check out the chopper blue bite from the Pilgrim Power Plant out to The Gurnet. If bass are more your bag, Scituate has been hopping, especially for those slinging eels at night. Boston Harbor has been blitz-central with, finally, bluefish figuring into the mix. On the North Shore you have to give it up for the beaches from Revere to Lynn, where the upcoming ebbing morning tides hold a lot of promise. Farther north, surfcasters along Cape Ann are keeping awfully quiet, which may mean that the fish are hitting somewhere and an early morning check-out cruise along Rte. 127 could clue you in on some casting candy. You also may want to drop by Surfland for a lesson on dropper fishing, which is awfully effective with the small bait in Plum Island. North of the border, the bass fishing is best among boulders and rockpiles off the beaches of New Hampshire, while Downeasterners are waiting for the coffee-colored water to leave their coast and the fishing to turn on.