Massachusetts Fishing Report – June 11, 2015

From Plymouth to Plum Island, there is no shortage of striped bass, but to cull out those cows you’ll have a hard time beating a live mackerel. This is one time when the fortunes of a few sharpie surf fishermen were as good as the boat guys. And flounder fishing remains the family favorite from Green Harbor to Gloucester.

Massachusetts South Shore Fishing Report

Scotty Sinclair of Green Harbor Bait and Tackle could have fared better on his maiden voyage in search of that first tuna of the year since he did not catch, but it was hardly a total loss. They marked tuna by Crab Ledge, but the feeling is that the “whale show” in the area may have pushed the fish deeper in the water and off their feed. Regardless, they did get to test out the shops new rigged ballyhoo and mackerel baits, and they look too good for Charlie to pass up.

Tommy, one of the shop’s regulars, focused on stripers at Race Point and tallied 8 fish in the 44-inch class on mackerel. One place you might be able to catch mackerel is in the “scum line,” which is a ribbon of weed and other detritus that sets up on the surface on the South Shore. Another mackerel location is off The Gurnet, but be forewarned of “heartbreak” should you snap a jig on your Sabiki rig and work it lower in the water column. There is an alarming number of cod cruising very close to shore! But it’s just like the MC Hammer song “You can’t touch this!” thanks to the moratorium in effect in the GOM and state waters.

Pete Belsan of Belsan Bait in Scituate has been weighing in a number of 30-pound fish in his shop in Scituate, and most have been caught on mackerel from either the mouth of the North River or by offshore ledges such as Minot Ledge, Davis Ledge, and Stone Ledge. In some cases, it’s one-stop shopping as the bass are shadowing the mackerel. What’s also following the mackerel, according to Peter, are beautiful white-bellied 5- to 7-pound cod, but of course with the moratorium in effect they must be immediately released. Your most consistent shot at a “fun” striper, one in the mid-30-inch range, is to work eels through the marshes, bridges, and inlets of the North River. Like most occasions with eels, this is a nighttime pursuit. If you’re looking for action, shove off at daybreak and let the birds be your guide. The most popular bass in our midst are mid-20-inch fish, which are born of the very successful 2011 year-class and appear to be swarming everywhere by the millions. These fish aren’t fussy and will hit all manner of jigs and soft plastics. The few who target tautog continue to catch these crab-crunchers up to 9 pounds in the Cedar Point area. Some are even achieving limits (3 fish, 16” minimum)! Another nearby prolific blackfish spot is Blackmans Point.

Greater Boston Harbor Fishing Report

The inner Boston Harbor best bets are flounder and mid-20-inch stripers, with the flounder nearly as big! Pockets of bigger bass are available, but to hedge your bets for something larger you should plan on jigging up mackerel and hitting offshore ledges, especially those off Hull. Winter flounder in the harbor could best be described as the region’s journeyman. Nearly all are basking in return of the blackback! It’s one thing for a pro such as Captain Jason Colby to make a killing, but when a family can set sail on a weekend and have a reasonable chance of catching flounder and having a ball doing it, then that is something special. But first, a nod toward what the Little Sister skipper is achieving. On his most recent trip on Tuesday morning, he treated to a bunch of New Yorkers to inshore bottom fishing at its finest. As the bite began to take off, the anglers set a baseline for keeping fish at 16”! That is borderline insane! The fish averaged 17” to 19” which is darn good for fluke, let alone winter flounder. Fortunately, the flounder good fortune does not end there. Recently I overheard a marina gas pump attendant say that he hadn’t even started fishing for striped bass as he was loving the flounder fishing, and this is hardly atypical. The blackbacks have been biting in Quincy Bay, Rainsford Island, Georges Island, Green Island, Snake Island and off Yirrell Beach and Revere Beach. If you’re just fishing where everyone else is, then you’re potentially missing out on your own honey hole. Find pockets of soft bottom among hard bottom, chum like crazy, and see if you can’t find your own flounder stash.

Recent harbor bass blow-ups have been taken place by Worlds End, Thompson Island and the Lower Middle. These fish for the most part are a part of that dominant year class of mid-20-inch fish. They are not fussy, and chances are if you get a SPRO Jig, Queen Cocahoe, Shimano Waxwing or host of other small-bait imitators in front of their faces, they will strike it! But the truth is that while most are preoccupied with small fish, a few are jigging up mackerel by the BG Buoy and Martins Ledge and making the run out to Hardings Ledge, Thieves Ledge and Three-and-One-Half Ledge, and they are catching 30-pound fish while trolling macks over fish staging by such structure. Surf guys have had recent success with similar-sized fish between Deer Island and the Five Sisters while tossing over-sized spooks as well as Daiwa SP Minnows and Red Fins. They are catching squid off Nut Island Pier, but a good night consists of only about a dozen cephalopods.

Massachusetts North Shore Fishing Report

Tomo from Tomo’s Tackle told me that the North Shore is sharing in the flounder good times! Flounder can be found in the harbors of Swampscott, Marblehead, Salem, Beverly, Gloucester and Manchester-By-The-Sea. Some are even touting 7-fish outings from Beverly Pier! A 24-inch “whitechin” tautog was caught and released from the Beverly Pier. Tautog are among the heaviest of local fishes for their length, and a 24-inch fish is a corker! Those usual “suspect” mid-20-inch stripers can be observed blitzing in Beverly and Salem Harbors early in the morning before boat traffic puts them down. However, bigger teen-sized fish are being caught by regulars in the Essex and Ipswich rivers. It’s never too early to start peppering the mouths of these rivers with eels; the spot where the Essex drains between Coffins Beach and Crane Beach is a perennial big bass spot!

Joppa Flats in the Newburyport area has started jumping which is usually the case in June. Most will target this place by boat and kayak with eels and the tube-and-worm. But Plum Island’s own Neil Allen, who practically grew up in Surfland and turns a wicked plug under the NTA Custom banner, has had success with 40-pound fish by working his monster pencil popper among the channel edges! Recent outgoing tides at the mouth of the Merrimack were very successful for anglers working soft plastics designed to imitate sand eels and other slim-profiled baitfish. Mackerel can be found off Hampton Ledge as well as the Speckled Apron. Drifting through the mouth of the Merrimack with a live mackerel is as promising a method as you are likely to find in this area. Also, try floating a live mackerel by Sandy Point. Anglers walking the ocean front casting jigs/curly-tail grubs, tin squids, and swimming plugs are catching well from the jetty through the Parker River Wildlife Reservation.

Fishing Forecast

If you’re home base is the South Shore, top off the livewell with mackerel off The Gurnet and search for some of the bigger bass around off Race Point or the ledges off Scituate. For something different try targeting tautog by Cedar Point or Blackmans Point. Follow the birds in Boston Harbor, and you’re sure to find all the mid-20” stripers you can handle by Hull and Thompson Island. For a chance at a cow, troll mackerel off the ledges off Hull, or if you are a surf fisherman, spend some time wading and casting around Winthrop. Flounder fishing is still fantastic from Boston Harbor through Gloucester Harbor. If you have a kayak handy, troll a tube-and-worm at Joppa Flats. Surf fishermen will do better running-and-gunning the Newburyport ocean front.