The heat has not been limited to the tarmac under your feet if you have fished the South Shore lately as 30- and even 40-pound stripers came out to play. The Harbor has been loaded with herring, but finding a non-sated striper among all that bait has been a challenge. On the North Shore, while they are waiting for the coffee-colored rivers to clear, the bass are on the rocks and those who are trolling plugs are singing the blues.

Massachusetts South Shore Fishing Report

Pete from Belsan’s in Scituate probably wishes that every weekend fished like last weekend as a number of stripers up to and over 40 pounds were caught in the Scituate area. Shop patron Bob McCarey would be in agreement since he took a nearly “square” 41-inch, 39 ½-pound striper on a live mackerel off Point Allerton. Closer to home, Mr. Belsan said that the sharpies were jigging up macks, which have reappeared, and tossing them into the wash wherever they found white water. Boulder fields off Peggotty Beach, Egypt Beach, Third Cliff, Fourth Cliff: almost wherever there was washing machine conditions held hungry bass. There have been macks and bass by Davis Ledge as well and the South Shore also has some black sea bass. While rarely targeted, some titanic tautog have been sighted lurking among the bubbleweed off Smith Rocks.

Bob Pronk of Green Harbor Bait and Tackle in Marshfield told me that “Charlie” chasers are cursing the full moon and the ripping currents that scatter bait and permeate the water with weed. Striper fishermen are fairing better, especially the shore set who are catching off Berks Beach with mackerel chunks. Green Harbor has been productive as well with some catching right off their moored boats. Those looking to top off the livewell with some fresh bait had better be on the water by daylight when the macks will be obvious on the surface. Another option is the long haul to just west of Stellwagen where the tuna gang is stopping for macks before looking for bluefin. Other anglers are being steered toward Blackman Point and Bluefish Cove, where tog and black sea bass have been detected. The cod cadre are having to haul all the way to Tillies Basin to find brown bombers.

Greater Boston Fishing Report

Captain Jason Colby of Little Sister Charters‘ quest for blackbacks on Wednesday afternoon was hijacked by a couple of interloping “blackfish,” namely black sea bass and tautog. These two species are hardly rare aboard the Little Sister but are not ordinarily directed quarry until the center console is hauled down to Westport later in the season. But on this day 3- to 6-pound tog were beating the flounder to the bait among rockpiles in Quincy and Hull; the haul is also increasingly including black sea bass. Jason has been trolling up mid-30-inch stripers with deep diving swimmers off Rainsford Island and between Winthrop Beach and Short Beach.

The hubbub on the Harbor is about all the herring. Swarms of sea herring have many hoping that the bite will blow up like a powder keg. But the bass seem to be ignoring the herring and are still sticking with the mackerel, even though they are around in ever-diminishing quantities. Top-rod anglers such as Dave Panarello have been putting in an inordinate amount of time to obtain a few knowing that a mack usually results in a bass. Chumming helps immensely; recent mackerel encounters have occurred by the 2 Can, the BG Buoy and off Nahant. And while it’s a trip out there, the B-Buoy harbors more consistent mackerel. Those looking to slam a slammer bluefish should troll deep-diving swimmers outside of the outer harbor islands.

Lisa from Fore River Bait and Tackle in Quincy told me that in spite of the downpours there are still plenty of striped bass in the river systems such as the Weymouth Fore and Back Rivers. Other shore spots are Avalon Beach as well as Webb State Park. Boaters are trolling up bass on the tube-and-worm by Gallup Island, Jacknife Ledge and Veezie Rocks. Patrons of the shop are finding black sea bass figuring more and more into the mix from Nut Island and while jigging near West Gut. As water temperatures increase look for the boom in black sea bass numbers to continue.

Laurel from Hull Bait and Tackle said that anglers casting clams are catching bass from Nantasket Beach and Gunstock Beach. Drifting eels is effective from Cunningham Bridge and while I’ve never fished it, the bridge seems as if it would be ideal to drag jigs in front of stripers lurking in the shadow line. Tube-and-worm fishermen and those live-lining mackerel are catching from Point Allerton through Nantasket Beach and out to Black Rock Beach. Another good spot for boaters and “booters” is Sunset Point at World’s End in Hingham. For those looking for bait and tackle necessities after hours, Laurel keeps a 24-7 self-serve vending machine on the premises that is stocked with 40 different items from seaworms to sinkers to line.

Massachusetts North Shore Fishing Report

Red Rock in Lynn continues to be red hot according to Laura of Ippi’s In Lynn. But there has been an influx of unscrupulous fisherman who are poaching and leaving trash. It might be a good idea to have the EPO number at the ready and report the criminal element to the green police when you see it. The rocky shoreline of Swampscott and Marblehead has been good also; years ago I used to do quite well slinging eels off Devereux Beach and of all things in the middle of the day during this time of the year. Don’t neglect checking out Marblehead Harbor while you are at it.

Tomo from Tomo’s Tackle in Salemtold me that anglers jigging up mackerel outside of Bakers and Misery Islands are tossing them into the shallow, white water of the islands and catching bass. Troll Rapala magnum swimmers in deeper water to tempt a toothy; there are not a lot of blues and the bites are random but some of the fish are double-digit choppers. Flounder fishermen are finding an influx of black sea bass along the Beverly shoreline. But for the biggest bass of the bunch, Tomo suggests you jig up mackerel and head to the rocky shorelines of Manchester-by-the-Sea and Magnolia where there have been mobies taken lately.

Peter from Fin and Feather in Essex is waiting for the rivers on the North Shore to flush clear and purge the freshwater to bring the bass back. Hit the nighttime tides with eels; key in on bridges, especially the shadow lines during slower stages of the tide and the stripers will find those eels no matter how roiled the river is. Pete told me that the Ocean Lures Surface Swimmer has become a must-have for the surf guys working the Cape Ann shoreline. Steve Pappows hooked a monster bass on the olive Surface Swimmer off a Rockport Beach recently only to have it scrub him off on a ghost lobster pot. Blues are busting trolled plugs off Halibut Point.

Mike from Surfland told me that the ocean front is where the bite is at the moment. The feeling is that freshwater throughout the rivers has spooked the bait and the bass. The sandbar on the beach not far from the shop has been active as bass binge on the ubiquitous sand eels. It is beginning to sound almost monotonous but Mike too praised the Ocean Lures line, in this case their Sand Eel plug. Worms and clams continue to catch stripers off the Parker River Wildlife Reservation.

New Hamsphire and Southern Maine Fishing Report

According to Fred from Suds ‘N Soda in Greenland, black sea bass are belting jigs on the Portsmouth side of the Piscataqua River and for those who prefer their bass with stripes live mackerel along the same stretch has accounted for 40-inch-plus fish. Some are connecting by casting the macks in front of bridge pilings and abutments while others three-way or slip an egg sinker ahead of a barrel swivel. Shore anglers are working the low-light shift by chunking off Wallis Sands. Jamie from Dover Marine told me that big pollock are still being taken within 15 to 20 miles of the shoreline. For cod and haddock look for marked baitfish throughout Jeffrey’s Ledge and dangle a Butterfly Jig in front of the fish. Jamie has made the switch from more conventional cod jigs to the 10-ounce flat-sided version. He feels that the lighter, more streamlined jigs drop quicker and get bit better and the assist hooks grab bottom far fewer times than a big treble.

Ben from Saco Bay Tackle Company told me that the bite has shifted from the rivers to nearby beaches. Anglers are jigging up mackerel right from the Camp Ellis Jetty and live-lining them into the maw of stripers over 40 inches long. Higgins Beach has been hot as has Pine Point for anglers soaking sandworms. Boaters are jigging up mackerel near the islands and casting the macks into the suds of the island shoreline to find willing bass. Cod and their kin are hitting so well that most anglers are setting their own minimum length limits longer than the required 19 inches. One promoter of this conservational measure is Captain Tim Tower of the Bunny Clarke in Ogunquit who has mandated that no cod under 21 inches are to be kept. Jeffreys and Tillies are both fishing well but bait soakers beware – the doggies are back.

Best Bets for the Weekend

An early start and a Sabiki rig at the ready should be all you need to catch mackerel in the Scituate area. Look for a maelstrom of whitewater against Minots Light, Smith Rocks or rocky structure among the beaches and let that mackerel work its magic on resident bass. Fresh from news that the Cape Cod Canal lit up on the east end, there may be a new surge of stripers on the South Shore just in time for the weekend. All those herring in the Hub is almost too much of a good thing – the stripers may be taking them for granted. Instead, make a move toward Nahant, the North Channel or Boston Light and see if you can jig up some macks. Try those macks by Lovells Island, Nixes Mate or Long Island and see if you can get some of those stripers immune to herring to commit to a mack attack. The rocks are your best bet on the North Shore; shoot an Ocean Lures Surface Swimmer toward an upwelling or into an eddy up against some ledges and see if a bass is home. The Piscataqua River is the place to be just past the border where black sea bass take jigs and stripers slam live mackerel. In Maine, it’s more of the same – find the macks find the bass. That is unless you have groundfish on your mind. In that case cod is the word as Jeffreys Ledge has become so active that anglers have taken to setting their own minimum-size limit.