It’s no newsflash that those who want to dodge the Dog Days of Summer should adopt a nighttime plan. But if you’re looking to get black and blue the omnipresent black sea bass are mostly shorts and bluefish sparse. But while something that could take a bite out of you is lacking, something you may want to take a bite out of is swarming – squid, especially on the North Shore!

It almost sounds like a tale of two oceans. By day, the blitz brigade is chasing birds and catching fish up to the mid-teen size with various levels of success. Contrast this with nocturnal anglers who seek sanctuary among the shadows, as well as oversized striped bass. Rick Holbrook recently loaded up his bucket with frisky serpents from Ippi’s in Lynn and arrived at a choice North Shore estuary just as the sun was beginning to set. Doubt was beginning to creep into his conscience even before the first cast, as he was greeted by coffee-colored brackish water. He wondered whether anything could even survive in this muddy marsh and if it did could it find his offering in water that had near-zero visibility. But then he remembered his quarry – stripers are nothing if not adaptable. A few warm-up casts with a Magic Swimmer gave no hint of the beast that lay in ambush. On the first cast with an over-sized eel, 10’ into the drift Rick came tight to a finned freight train. The angler had all the right stuff, including a Shimano Sustain loaded with 50-pound Power Pro and 50-pound fluoro but this drag-screaming fish toyed with him until it tired of the game and buried his leader amongst a ghost lobster pot, quickly severing the line. Subsequent casts resulted in keeper sized fish similar to what would excite the fleet in Boston Harbor the next day. You may lose sleep, you may ultimately lose the fish but from now until the striped bass head south, you can’t beat slinging eels come sundown.

South Shore

Bob Pronk of Green Harbor Bait & Tackle in Marshfield is not missing the bluefish. This may seem self-defeating considering what a cash cow toothy blues often are for those in the tackle business, but Bob is appreciating the fact that a bust in blues means there is no lack of macks. Get your fill of this striper candy near inshore ledges such as Offer Ledge, Brewers Ledge and Howland Ledge. Some are scoring stripers on site and others take them on a boat ride to onshore structure such as MaryAnn Rocks, Tautog Rocks, Gurnet Point, High Pine Ledge and Beetle Rocks. Often the bait fish can be seen dimpling the surface. Later during the day the macks will sulk out to deeper water when chum/trolling is required to find them. There is no shortage of black sea bass around, but it’s still challenging to find a 14” keeper. Try squidding with a Crippled Herring or Shimano Lucanus to see if you can cull the keepers out of the shorts which will swarm bait. The Eel River, Saquish Point, as well as Third and Fourth Cliff are potential nighttime eel hot spots.

Pete from Belsan’s in Scituate told me of a scup invasion in the Scituate area and there is a black sea bass bite but you’ll have to work for keepers. Tube and worm fisherman are scoring 25” to 30” stripers fairly readily among inshore structure such as near The Glades, Beetle Rock and through Humarock Beach. Not surprisingly, the nighttime anglers whipping eels into white water at The Spit are doing the best and measuring their stripers in pounds rather than inches. Probably the biggest local predator is the sand tiger shark and some are catching them on chunk bait off the Powder Point Bridge and off Duxbury Beach.

Greater Boston

Fresh from the news that they are crushing the Calimari on the North Shore, I asked Lisa from Fore River B&T in Quincy if there were any squid scores and she said that there has been an increase in numbers off Nut Island Pier. The new park at the mouth of the Fore River may be worth checking out for squid come dark. If you have a boat at the ready and additional lighting, try anchoring among coves off Hough’s Neck and Webb Park. I have seen boats pull up at the boat ramp at sunrise after a night of squidding with anglers struggling to lift the cooler. Again, auxiliary lights are a must and tranquil seas sure help. Stripers up to 34” have been taken at the Fore River, Hull Gut, Peddock Island and Toddy Rocks. Cape Cod Spinners tipped with a seaworm have become standard issue with clams also accounting for fish. Odds are that you’ll catch plenty of small black sea bass with the bait as well as the suddenly common scup. The latter is most prevalent at Perry and Portuguese Coves. Shore guys looking to fish eels should consider World’s End, Half-tide Rock near Nut Island as well as Webb Park. Just make sure you partner up most any place you fish from the shore at night in Greater Boston.

Pogies are beginning to push into local waters and gill-netters have recently been able to scratch together a few dozen at a set. There are no big numbers yet but it is a start. Mackerel can still be jigged up off Martin’s Ledge by the BG Buoy and off Nahant. While you are at Nahant, try dropping a jig to the bottom among the triangle between the East Point, Egg Rock and Saunders Ledge. A buddy of mine saw a shore guy haul a 24” cod there that took a chunk. Inshore cod are scarce in 2013 but if there is one place you may be able to find a few, it is off Nahant.

Bass have been busting bait from Castle Island out to the North Channel with a day bite sometimes as good as dawn. The swath from Short Beach to Revere Beach has also had a few pop-up blitzes of fish that ranged from schoolies to teen-sized.

North Shore

When not dolling out serpents to graveyard shift fisherman, Laura from Ippi’s in Lynn is often hosting fishing tournaments. A recent event took place in Flax Pond and there were a number of tykes that caught and released trophies up to 15” long. Another sweetwater option is nearby Sluice Pond which is a deep suburban glacial gem that often holds over trout and salmon. Some are catching the salmonids from shore while employing a 1-ouce egg sinker, yellow Berkley Power Eggs and aiming their casts for the horizon. Those with a salty appetite are covering a lot of water between the Tides Restaurant in Nahant out to Swampscott; periodic blitzes are keeping everyone on their toes. Squid are most definitely in! Almost anywhere you find a dock or pier that is in close proximity of deep water has squid.

Noel from Bridge Street Sports in Salem confirmed reports that guys are getting “inked”! Ferry Landing, Salem Willows, Beverly Pier, Fisherman’s Beach, Marblehead Landing all have squid to the tune that many are tallying 200-300 cephalopods a night. Less reliable are stripers, but Noel did suggest Forest River Park for those soaking seaworms; that place also sounds promising for eels after dark.

Tomo from Tomo’s Tackle in Salem said that he special ordered squid jigs from Yamashita because of the sudden demand. He told me that the squid are also hitting well in Gloucester Harbor. Provided that you can access a dock at night, you’ll catch squid. There have been double-digit blues taken just off Marblehead recently and it’s a schoolie-fest in Salem Sound with Jumpin’ Minnows and 24-7 spooks doing most of the killing. Here’s one I haven’t hear in a while – snapper blues! Tomo told me that 6” snappers have shown up in Salem Harbor recently. If they are on the North Shore than they must be in the Boston area as well; I aim to find a few and see if I can catch an outsize fluke with one. Harrison from Crossroads Tackle in Salisbury said that it is a struggle to find mackerel but those putting in the time are doing most of the catching. Look for macks off Thatcher’s Island, Hampton Ledge and the Isle of Shoals. Drift mackerel at the mouth of the Merrimack River for a best bet on the North Shore.

Kay from Surfland told me that the Plum Island area has been reloaded with linesiders, with one angler telling of a recent 20 fish outing of which 9 were keeper sized fish. The beach is unpredictable in late July but some fishing cut bait at night are having good outings. This has been a year of unusual catches in the Newburyport area. An unusual amount of black sea bass have been caught at the mouth of the Merrimack River and there have even been a few tautog taken off the jetty. However, the biggest surprise has been the volume of sturgeon that have been seen and foul hooked this season. During most seasons there are some encountered but this year it is almost commonplace; the fish continue to be protected however and should you hook one, relish the occasion and then release the fish promptly.

New Hampshire & Southern Maine

Fred from Suds ‘N Soda in Greenland was stoked when we spoke because locals are catching plenty of squid. Most any pier or wharf off the Piscatagua River is rewarding anglers with 100 plus squid outings! Newcastle is hot as is the Maine side of the Rte. 95 Bridge. The catching is good also by the Coast Guard Station. The best bass fishing is occurring off the beaches for bait fisherman. Chunk mackerel is accounting for keepers off Wallis Beach Park and northward. They have been catching some respectable stripers from rockpiles off Rye Beach as well. Mackerel are spotty with some making the steam out to the Isle of Shoals to hook-up.

Chad from Dover Marine told me that the “slop-frogging” for largemouth bass is becoming addictive for many anglers in New Hampshire. First light and last light matters and you can get your frog-fix from Union Meadows Pond, Swains Pond or Bellamy Reservoir. Great Bay still runs roiled and is unpredictable. A better bet has been Parsons Beach in Maine where 6” white Slug-Gos are the key to sand eel slurping stripers. The fish are usually nice bass from the mid-30s to the mid-40s.

Nick from Saco Bay Tackle told me that the shark bite (has a ring to it doesn’t it?) is really good for blues and the occasional mako by Tantas Ledge. Fresh bait is all important. Some are jigging up the spotty mackerel by Richmond and Monument Islands before they make the steam out there while others are jigging up whiting on the spot and live-lining them for the toothies. The beaches, especially Old Orchard and Pine Point are your best bet for bass which are averaging between 25” and 36”. Chunk mackerel and clam at night is the hot ticket but the SP Minnow is the standard for artificial enthusiasts.

Best Bets for the Weekend

If a season-best bass is what you desire try tossing eels at the mouth of the Eel River, the Green Harbor jetty or The Spit! For steady action and some succulent table fare seek scup off Scituate or Peddock Island or squid in the Quincy area. Most mornings in Boston Harbor feature random blitzes with spooks and shad baits working well for the mostly mid-20” to lower 30” fish. Check out the area between Castle Island and the North Channel for visual clues. On the North Shore squid from Salem through Gloucester are on a tear and the same could be said for the Piscatagua River area. Parsons Beach in Maine has had prolific striper action. Mackerel may be tough to come by in Maine but a livewell full means your halfway toward dueling with sharks off Tantas Ledge.