Someone once spun the phrase: “The only thing predictable in life is its unpredictability”! That about sums up striper fishing in these parts. It’s a gamble, with equal parts skunk and striped bass thrown into the equation. But there have been 40-pound-class fish caught within the last few days and you can bet the house that there’s more where they came from.
South Shore Massachusetts Fishing Report
Fresh from reading that fantastic piece “Shad Tale” on this website, I posed the hickory shad question to Dave from The Fisherman’s Outfitter knowing that Duxbury is about the northern-most limit of their modern range. Dave used the word “tons” to describe the numbers of hickory shad among the three bays. He suggests that you start out by the Leo F. DeMarsh boat ramp in Plymouth where the shad can usually be found. Each fall I trek down to Westport, jump aboard Captain Jason Colby’s Little Sister and live-line hickory shad for stripers. Wow is that exciting! In fact, last year Jason briefly had on a beast of a bass that inhaled one of these giant baits. When a guy who’s tallied a couple-dozen 50-pound fish through the years says that it was an awesome fish, then you can be certain it was huge! We have found that the shad fishing is best at dark and with an oversized Sabiki rig finished with a small spoon. A moving tide seems to be a magnet and docks and piers are good places to start. I’ve had luck live-lining them with a 12/0 Daiichi Circle Chunk stuck between the nostrils and the eyes.
Dave mentioned unleashing those hickory shad by Clarks Island, the Cowyard, Duxbury Bay and High Pine Ledge off Duxbury Beach. For those equipped to make a little haul, check out Manomet Point, Maryann Rocks or the riveting Ellisville Harbor. Mackerel just outside of the Gurnet are spotty but you might be able to supplement those macks with pollock, especially if you chum adequately.
Pete from Belsan in Scituate said that surprisingly the most consistent catching is for cod in 50 to 60 feet of water. King among the cod jigs is the Daddy Mac angry squid Trophy Tuna jig. The Scituate area is swarming with tinker mackerel and despite anglers incessantly trolling among most every rockpile in the area, the going is slow. Still a 36-pounder was weighed in that walloped a live pollock by Minot’s Light. The same productive structure gave up an 8-pound tautog. Anglers are still picking away at flounder in Sciutate Harbor and they are catching ever-increasing numbers of black sea bass among the flounder.
Greater Boston Harbor Fishing Report
On Tuesday I took my best bass of the year, a nicely proportioned 47-inch fish full of pogies, while aboard my friend Captain Pete’s supremely comfortable and competent 26’ Fortier Valkyrie. While others were in the hunt for mackerel and later the hunt for stripers once they found the bait, we settled out by the North Channel and employed his signature method of wire-lining jigs. In addition to my big bass, we caught numerous teen-sized fish. I networked among angling associates later that day and I could not find anyone who had the success we did. To say I was in rarified company is an understatement since Captain Russ Burgess was also aboard. Arguably these two guys are responsible for the two biggest striped bass landed in Boston Harbor within the last year. Something can be said for old school techniques such as wire-lining jigs and big wooden plugs!
Scotty Sinclair of Green Harbor B&T, just back from a tuna tournament, said that there is mixed pelagic action 6 to 10 miles NW of Atlantis Canyon that is sensational. Mahi mahi, bigeye tuna as well as bluefin are aggressively hitting ballyhoo, Green Machine Bars and Squid Bars. Closer to the coast there are football to 60-pound tuna reported in Cape Cod Bay. Recent spotter plane accounts reveal that there are random schools of tuna spread out equally from the SW corner of Stellwagen all the way through Gloucester.
Meanwhile, anglers jigging up mackerel off Nahant were taking them over to Long Island among close-to-shore rockpiles and finding bass up to 24 pounds. Captain Bill Smith aboard his Draggin’ Fly lost a monster striper not far from Long Island on a live mackerel. However an earlier charter fared better off Nahant as they followed roving surface feeds and found stripers up to 47” willing to inhale a fly. Just Wednesday morning Bobby DeVincent of Saugus along with a friend had a massive blitz all to themselves that gradually moved from Nahant out to east of Graves Light. The fish were portly 25-pounders which fell for jigs and live mackerel.
Good flounder fortune continues! Joe and Marc Holey as well as a buddy limited out on Tuesday aboard Captain Jason Colby’s Little Sister in no time at all and some of the fish were north of 3 pounds! The blackback bite has been good around Hangman’s Island. Don’t stray too far from the rockpiles, and you may treat yourself to a tautog as Rick Paone of Medford did on Sunday morning with a nearly 8-pound whitechin.
North Shore Massachusetts Fishing Report
Laura from Ippi’s in Lynn told me that the flounder fishing is quite good in Lynn Harbor. Target the transition areas between the flats and the channels. Those working soft stretches among the rocky bottom of Nahant are doing well also as are fisherman hitting Swampscott and Marblehead Harbors. There been a surge in squid numbers on the North Shore, it’s time to consider almost any lit pier at night as a potential squid honey hole. Mackerel are caught from the state pier in Gloucester.
Tomo from Tomo’s Tackle in Salem told me that small blues are biting the hooks off Sabiki rigs in Marblehead Harbor, especially by the Commercial Street Pier. I would suspect that if they are not there already they will be filling into the Pickering Wharf area as well as through Salem/Beverly Harbor. Some pogies are flipping in Salem Harbor and there are solid numbers of tinker mackerel present but there is not always predators with the forage. Blues will occasionally slice and dice their way through the schools of baitfish but not enough to predict. At the mouth of Beverly Harbor there have an increase in black sea bass numbers with some fish measuring up to 15 inches!
Pete from Fin and Feather, which is right on the Essex River, said that anglers are not having to go far for bait and bass as there are 30- to 40-inch stripers throughout the river and out to Conomo Point. Crane’s Beach remains hit or miss but always worthy of a tide worth of effort. Pete’s hearing good things about Emerson Rocks on the southern side of Plum Island. Folks are finding a few flounder throughout Manchester Harbor and Gloucester Harbor.
The big news according to Kay from Surfland in Newburyport surely qualifies as big – as in 8 feet of sturgeon big! Accidental catching of sturgeon is nothing new throughout the Merrimack River but this one was bigger than most and was promptly released after it was beached. A 40-pound striper is the high water mark at this legendary shop so far this year. There has been some activity among Joppa Flats, especially at night for the tube-and-worm and eel crowd, but the bite wanes as soon as the tide slackens. Probably the most consistent catching is occurring for those walking the ocean front, especially at low light, and running and gunning the shoreline with plugs.
Fishing Forecast
Jig up some hickory shad from the Plymouth public boat ramp and live-line this big bass candy by the turnaround on Long Beach or try three-waying it by Bug Light. Outside among High Pine Ledge, Manomet Point or Maryann Rocks is worth a go. If you want good action and delicious fillets flounder throughout the Quincy/Hull area is your best choice. Although those who target tautog may disagree and you’ll find those too among mussel beds and rockpiles near Hangman Island, Quarantine Rocks and Rainsford Island. Squid are appearing in increasing numbers from Nahant and well into the North Shore. The striper fishing in Essex is excellent with both the bait and the bass hanging close to the river.
Anybody else hear about the 21 pound laker taken out of the Quabbin over the week?
Wow just heard that it was a smidge under 22, caught by Gate 8 & weighed in at R&R in Belchertown! Can never rule out the mighty ‘Q!
Hey Ron,
I caught mackerel out by boston light and graves pretty frequently in the beginning of june, but I haven’t been out there the past week or so. Any idea if they’ll still be out there, or have the macks started to leave? When do they usually leave? Do they get kicked out by the bluefish? Thanks.
Hey Kevin, sorry for the late reply! Friends of mine are getting all the mackerel they can handle, the Nahant coastline out toward the BG Buoy seems almost like “dummy” mackerel jigging it’s so easy on most days. Chumming with something as simple as canned cat food helps. The saying always was “between Mother’s Day and Father’s Day” to describe their local availability but in recent years they’ve remained longer. I believe the general lack of consistent bluefish has something to do with it. The most reliable catching is still taking place thanks to those mackerel, let’s hope they never leave!
The three bays had multiple pods of 18 to 26 inch schoolies busting most of morning by the Cowyard. We had some nice top water strikes with a few fat girls coming up on our plugs. Tight-lines!
Walleye,
My father and I got out there around 10 and we found a pretty big bird pile. There was fish pushing bait to the surface right near browns bank. Good light tackle action on schoolies. The fish were fast moving but willing to bite!!
Tight Lines
Hey H.T,
Catching any keepers lately? If you tube and worm between Plymouth beach and Browns Bank on the incoming, you should get a nice keeper! Tight-lines!
Walleye,
Unfortunately we have not caught a keeper yet. There seems to be a ton of schoolies around this year though. We tube and worm a lot so I will definitely take your advice on that. Does it matter what time of day it is or does it just have to be on the incoming??
Thanks and tight lines
Hey H.T, I like early mornings when the tide is moving good. Most successful “tuber’s” like to place the tube 2 foot off the bottom. Hogy has a dynamite new tube…try it if you can find it! Tight-Lines!
T-Man makes a fantastic tube as well. I like the “Scarlett,” half black half red. It gets a great cork screw action when trolled really slow, as opposed to the nice wobble that the Hogy SI tube gets. I tend to start off with one of each and determine what the fish like on that particular tide. Tight lines, let’s hope the bigger fish that were off The Race make their way across to us.
Multiple pods of birds working this morning on the three bays. The cow yard, browns bank and bug light all had birds working. Unfortunately I was working on the lobster boat so I couldn’t chase em’ down today. There is always tomorrow though!!!!
Tight lines
Anyone hear any report of surfcasting in Gloucester recently?
Both surfcasting and boat fishing along the Merrimack River at Salisbury/Plum Island has been decent lately. Reeled in quite a few keepers including a 28-, 29-, two 34-, a 36- and a 38-inch stripers on three consecutive days this past weekend. Also released back dozens of schoolies ranging in size from 24-inches to 27.75 inches in our quest for a record-breaking “keeper.” Sturgeons are popping up everywhere and seals remain the saltwater anglers biggest nemesis aside from navigating the ever changing water conditions at the mouth of the Merrimack River. Best bait, as always, live mackerel. Schools upon schools can be found at the same spots as every season. Fishing with the kids for schoolies along the shore – fresh sea worms are a sure fire way to attract the little stripers onto the lines. Nothing like hearing the squeals of joy from a child as their reel in their little striper. Tight lines 🙂
Hi, has anyone heard how the squid fishing is in either Hampton or Seabrook harbor? Any times or locations would be appreciated. We have been prohibited from fishing for squid at Pepperell Cove (Kittery Maine), no reason given. Thanks for any insight.