Marinas are busily clearing mooring fields of boats that belong to the non-obsessed, opening fishing lanes and giving hope of less harried harbors. Blues from gator to gecko-sized are now in the discussion even for the shore guys. Groundfishing in the northern Gulf of Maine is being described as spectacular. Short of bays full of pogies and a handful of 50-pounders, what more can you ask for? …Alright, we have them, too!

South Shore Massachusetts Fishing Report

Fish are feeding with purpose in Plymouth, said Dave from The Fisherman’s Outfitter. The ocean side of Long Beach is hot, while the Eel River side is not, although I would sorely like to test that statement by whipping a few eels into the current on an ebbing tide.

The always reliable chunk bait and clams are producing, but the shop favorite 2-ounce Orca is producing topwater thrills. River herring fry up north are amassing at the mouths of their natal watersheds and attracting stripers, so I would not be surprised if a similar scene exists at the Town River and just maybe Beaver Dam Brook, which could be getting a river herring bounce similar to so many other herring nurseries.

Snapper blues continue to swarm and the next week may be your last chance to fool a nice fluke before they begin departing. You don’t have to be fancy here; a simple 3/8- to ¾-ounce egg sinker, barrel swivel, 30-inch leader of 30-pound fluorocarbon and a 2/0 – 3/0 wide gap hook is all you need. I prefer the red Mustad Ultra Point for its needle-point sharpness. Current among the channels and cuts that define this area are important for a nice drift to find the fish, and odds are that with a snapper on the line, the 16-inch minimum size is irrelevant.

Bob Pronk of Green Harbor Bait and Tackle in Marshfield is talking about a much different sort of bluefish – one which will sever 60-pound mono in one bite! There’s even been buzz of blues as big as 20 pounds. And these jumbos are as close as Farnham Rock, High Pine Ledge and The Gurnet. It’s hard to beat the old standby Rapala CD 18 in red/white and orange/gold when it comes to finding and fooling big bluefish. Another option is to chunk local beaches at night, as big bluefish tend to be as nocturnal as stripers and will often come closer to shore under cover of darkness.

Chunkers are also picking up the occasional cow striper among the beaches of Duxbury, Marshfield and Humarock. There also appears to be a new crop of cod just east of Stellwagen and some of the better groundfishing all season. When recapping 2013, tuna fishing will not be considered a highlight, but if you have sushi on the brain check out the Chatham area: all those sand eels that have held sway with the stripers all summer also attract tuna.

Greater Boston Harbor Fishing Report

This bit of news is fresher than a still flopping pogy – big numbers of pogies have just arrived! And not surprisingly there are big bass having them for breakfast! You don’t need a GPS to know where they habitually appear, now go get them!

Closer to the hub, Hull is absolutely hot. Laurel from Hull Bait and Tackle recently found three patrons in the lot waiting for her to open up so that they could re-load on Daiwa SP Minnows, which have been striper candy from Point Allerton off Hull to Black Rock Beach in Cohasset. In case you haven’t heard there is an additional SP ready to hatch this month from the folks at Daiwa which will be a bit heavier, will suspend and is designed to work lower in the water column. Yeah, I can hardly wait too!

Folks trolling tubes, umbrella rigs and deep-diving plugs are working the same stretch of water and picking up nice bass and some good bluefish also. Landlubbers are scoring at Hull Shore Drive and Hull Harbor, especially by the Coast Guard Station, at night has been full of 40-inch stripers that are whacking eels!

I was surprised and pleased to hear of a youngster soaking a clam off Gunrock Beach and catching a 15-inch flounder. Lumped with a more voluminous blackback bag report from up north, it might be time to reconsider fall flounder.

Lisa from Fore River Bait and Tackle in Quincy told me of anglers who have been catching 10-pound plus blues right from the shore on chunk mackerel! You’re best bet is Bare Cove Park on the Back River. There have been similar sized choppers caught from docks of Marina Bay. There’s a good probability of hooking up along Boston’s ribbon of shore access, The Harborwalk. Try soaking a chunk behind the JFK Library, the Sugar Bowl or Castle Island. Further into the Harbor some solid options are Paul Revere Park, Mary O’Malley Park and Piers Park. On the heels of reports of some blues being taken near the Amelia Earhart Dam, don’t discount the Alford Street Bridge which for generations has been a top-flight bluefish producer. The Shraffts Candy Complex in wharf in Charlestown is worth a shot also.

Those swarming snapper blues have called in some very respectable fluke to these parts. Anglers have been picking up on average 20-inch fluke off Revere Beach, Lynn Harbor, Lynn Marsh and the Saugus River. Fluke that average that size would make most Buzzards Bay anglers envious, but it is September and odds are that we have about one week left before they depart. Recently while fluking I ran into a guy who swore he recently took a 52-inch striper on a live pogy between Kelley’s Rocks and Revere Beach. Ordinarily such a tale would put my bull-meter on high alert, but he seemed sincere, and on the heels of two similar-sized fish from Swampscott I’m inclined to believe.

North Shore Massachusetts Fishing Report

My friend Joe Holey, who writes the highly-read “Lynn Item” Fishing Report, told me of twin 50-pound stripers that were recently taken off Swampscott. One of the fish was witnessed by a buddy of Joe’s. One fish was taken on a live mackerel and the other on a plug, most likely a metal-lip. Historically that swath of coastline around Swampscott has been a big bass producer; I recall talking to “Stripermaniac” Ron McKee at a Sportsman’s Show this past winter and when asked where he caught his 50 he had on display, he gave the nod to Swampscott–and he’s from Maine!

Laura from Ippi’s in Lynn said that a patron of hers recently limited out on winter flounder from a non-descript piece of bottom “near Boston.” There are pogies in Lynn Harbor, but you’ll need a highly-educated eye to spot them. Live-line those pogies in the harbor or try them off Bailey’s Hill or the backside of Nahant. Red Rock has a crowd most evenings and a striper bite on chunk bait. Six-inch sea herring have settled into the Saugus River making for fine bass bait. If you’re harvesting the sea herring just make sure you’re aware of the difference between them and river herring which are illegal to possess.

Tomo from Tomo’s Tackle in Salem told me that the tube-and-worm between Tinkers Island and into Marblehead Harbor has been doing the trick for striped bass. Occasional surface feeds from Devereux Beach make this easily accessed spot a must look-see. Squid remain plentiful from Nahant all the way through the North Shore. The modus operandi remains the same – find a lee in the current, a lit dock (some are toting their own lights) and drop a Yo-Zuri or Ahi Jig and odds are you’ll get inked. Some bigger blues are pounding plugs just outside of Salem Sound and Manchester Harbor. Macks can be jigged up beyond Misery Island and if you’re wondering where to take them try Beverly Harbor where there are teen-sized stripers lurking.

From Pete from Fin and Feather in Essex came word that Cranes Beach was jumping with busting bass recently on what looked to be sand eels. The Essex River is fishing quite well as bass gather to feed on river herring fry and some larger sea herring. The rocky shorelines of Gloucester and Rockport are livening up and the must-have lure continues to be the Ocean Lures Swimming Baitfish. Kay from Surfland said that this past week was better than the previous one with catching off the ocean front of Plum Island much better. The most consistent catchers are bait fishing just beyond the shop and well into the Parker River Wildlife Reservation. Bait choices vacillate between seaworms and clams with each having its own fan base. I always felt that the more odoriferous clams were better at night and in a roiled surf, while seaworms get the nod when sight-lines are better. Try threading a scent-impregnated Berkley Power Worm onto the same hook as a seaworm and snug this right up against an oblong orange Styrofoam float and slowly crawl and then pause this along the bottom and see if you don’t catch more!

New Hampshire and Southern Maine

Another week, another slamming report of great groundfishing from Jeffreys Ledge from Chad of Dover Marine. The bite has been best by The Curl among sloping edges from 190’ to 200’. Cod, haddock, pollock are all hitting Butterfly Jigs and Oozie Jigs as light as 9 ounces, which braided lines and the relatively shallow bottom allow. Brown teasers are the hot dropper. Mackerel strips are outfishing other baits and you can jig up those macks on site or on the way out near the Isle of Shoals. Squid insanity continues throughout the quite stretches of the Piscataqua River.

Jason of Suds ‘N Soda said that it is almost as if the stripers are aware of the calendar because suddenly there is a September urgency! Live mackerel drifted throughout the Piscataqua River is effective for bass up to and over 40”. The beaches are fishing well for chunkers and guys tossing eels after dark into rockpiles among Hampton and Rye Beaches. Anywhere you find a jetty has special potential.

According to Justin from Saco Bay Tackle Company, staging river herring fry in the rivers are drawing in the fish. Some highlights are Scarborough Marsh, the Saco River and the Nonesuch River. The latter has been especially good to Justin after dark while slinging eels. This is the time for fly fisherman to work their long-rod magic with herring patterned Clousers and Deceivers. The shops owner, Peter, has been taking bass up to 35” on orange Gag’s poppers off the beachfront just outside of the Saco River Jetty. Big blues are busting top-water lures as well as trolling plugs outside of Wood, Stratton and Bluff Islands. In spite of the toothy onslaught there are still mackerel just outside of the islands.

Best Bets for the Weekend

On the South Shore, surfcasters should frequent Long Beach or Duxbury Beach and toss a chunk of mackerel or pogy into the wash. Boaters trolling tubes and plugs should make some passes by The Gurnet, High Pines Ledge or the beaches off Marshfield and Scituate. Hull has been hot especially on night tides in the harbor with eels and SP Minnows. Big blues have livened things up considerably for surf-fishermen soaking cut bait along the shores of the Weymouth Back River, Hull Shore Drive and I suspect parks and docks throughout inner Boston Harbor. Of course, the big news is big bait in the form of pogies which have just arrived like a text message from the fish gods! On the North Shore, see if you can’t join the nifty-fifty club by plopping a few pogies from Lynn Harbor into your livewell and try your luck off Revere Beach, Nahant or Swampscott. Check out Crane’s Beach as well, where stripers were crushing sand eels. Over the border, jig up some macks off the Isle of Shoals and tempt cod, pollock and haddock with brown teasers sweetened with the strips off Jeffreys. Fly guys are whipping cows with Clousers from the Nonesuch River and Scarborough Marsh in Maine. With another option being the big blues, which are chasing down mackerel just outside of the Southern Maine islands.