Massachusetts Fishing Report 7-17-2014

Other than wishing for seven months of blitzing striped bass, the other most sought after species in these parts is arguably the pogy. But often the accelerant for linking the two is bluefish. To that end, to hear of miles-long schools of these choppers just offshore may spell the worst for pogies but the best news for anglers tiring of “snagging and yawning.”

South Shore

With July halfway through, I was not surprised to hear Dave from The Fisherman’s Outfitter talking up toothy flounder when we spoke. Channels among the flats in the bays of Plymouth/Kingston and Duxbury are a good place to start the search for fluke. Spots where channels join which compound current, bait and fluke are even better. In the shallow water of these bays you can keep it simple by employing a basic egg sinker above a barrel swivel finished off with a 3’ lead and a 2/0 wide gap hook. For bait it is hard to top 4-inch white, chartreuse or pink Gulp! Alive Swimming Mullet. For hooks I opt for our standard winter flounder hook, albeit in a larger size, the super sharp red Mustad Ultra Point Wide Gap. If you’re a surf fisherman, you may be able to pick up a few fluke by running and gunning Long Beach or Stephens Field park or Nelson Street park, all in Plymouth.

If your usual striped bass haunts inshore are not producing, Dave suggests you try vertical jigging over humps, bumps and clumps outside of The Gurnet and High Pine Ledge. The shops hot jigs are the Daddy Mac lineup.

Tuna supplies are flying off the shelves of Green Harbor Bait and Tackle as the bluefin bite has improved significantly. Bob Pronk has heard of at least 6 giants taken recently, including a 125” “bus” estimated at 1100 pounds! Start at Stellwagen Bank, especially the SW Corner, and also check out the area off the “golfball” on the backside of Truro. Live bait – mackerel, sea herring and whiting – has been the key and there is no shortage of that around the Bank. There is a definite bump in bluefish in Cape Cod Bay and some have even been taken while chunking from beaches such as Duxbury Beach, Humarock Beach and Burke’s Beach.

Sal from Belsan’s in Scituate said that just east of the 21 Can anglers are encountering the first significant bluefish schools of the season. Deep divers such as Rapala X-Raps trolled over humps are resulting in toothy encounters. Mackerel are still hanging in there but if the blues take up residence that won’t be for long. Mackerel remain the ticket to a striper, especially a big bass. Some are trolling while others live-line under a balloon by the “Cliffs” as well as The Spit. With river herring fry gathering in the North River schoolies to small keepers are never far away.

Boston

The Quincy area has been struck by a “Squidnado” (you might say!) according to Rick from Fore River. Sea Wolfe Jigs are killing the cephalopods off Nut Island for shore fishermen, with boaters hooking them throughout Quincy Bay. Finally some keeper black sea bass are showing up off the pier and for boaters baiting and jigging by West Gut, Hull Gut and Pemberton Pier. Stripers are still surprisingly inshore and Rick believes the reason is the incessant storms which spin off cold water eddies and are keeping Boston Harbor relatively chilly. The tube-and-worm and Cape Cod spinners are catching them up for guys trolling close to the shoreline as well as by inshore islands such as Thompson, Bumkin, Grape and Slate. Those inshore islands remain a flounder factory, the key to finding them is varied bottom with liberal doses of bubble weed, mussel beds, ledge and mud/sand. Herring fry aggregating throughout the rivers such as the Weymouth Back make these prime locations for shore fisherman targeting striped bass. Small profile soft plastics such as the Queen Cochahoe will dupe those stripers.

The skipper of Fore River told me that recently Rick Ramos of the MSBA got into a slug of big blues off Scituate which stretched for miles! These jumbos are the ones to watch!

Pogies are no problem! At least finding them is with the issue being finding bass with the schools of bait fish. During the last great period of pogy abundance ending in the mid-80s, Dorchester Bay was a place you could always count on and they are popping up there again with occasional flurries of stripers with them. The operative word is occasional, successful anglers often have to move among schools of pogies to find one with bass with the bait. Thompson Island had been hot with both pogies and bass belting them. Pogies have been roaming throughout Winthrop Harbor with a few bass blowups near Snake Island.

North Shore

Tomo from Tomo’s B&T in Salem said that there have been feeds right near the shop off Pickering Wharf. The draw is probably herring which gather near the piers. SP Minnows as well as Hogys are working well on the 20” to 25” stripers. Mackerel are spotty by Satan’s Rock, Halfway Rock and out by the islands. One reason may be the appearance of sporadic blues which are most consistently be caught while trolling swimming plugs. They’re catching well at Collin’s Cove where bass have been blitzing. A trained eye scanning Salem Harbor will pick out pogies! The shop is selling a lot of squid jigs with the best bite happening off Swampscott as well as most any wharf or pier in Gloucester Harbor as well as the Dogbar Breakwater. Flounder can still be found off Singing Beach and Niles Beach.

Kay from Surfland said that finally there is flounder chatter among the faithful. No game yet for shore casters but the boat guys are limiting out outside of Plum Island Beach in 35’ of water. Now might be time to worm and spike it for the surf set. Sandy Point has been productive for teen-sized bass for those trolling the tube and worm as well as live mackerel. Odds are that the night shift would do better still working the same stretch with “serpents”. Joppa Flats is hit or miss with the hits coming courtesy of storms blowing in cooler water which attracts striped bass. For bluefish, Kay has heard of good times at Gloucester.

Fishing Forecast

The appearance of bluefish just could be a harbinger of better bass fishing as the cows cruise behind the choppers as the clean-up crew. Chunking Long Beach, Duxbury Beach and Burke’s Beach are best bets for a shore caught blue or bass. Flounder fortunes are promising for both fluke in Duxbury Bay as well as winter flounder among the inshore islands of Hull/Quincy. Flounder can also be found off Singing Beach as well as Plum Island. Schoolies have been feeding by Pickering Wharf in Salem but if you’d like a blitz on your horizon check out Collins Cove.